***WEBINAR ALERT***
The Dutchess Business Notification Network and the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce invite you to participate in a virtual business town hall conversation with Congressmen Antonio Delgado and Sean Patrick Maloney on Tuesday, April 21, 1:30PM. The format will open with remarks and end with a Q&A session. Sponsored by Vassar Brothers Medical Center, now part of Nuvance Health. 
Update for Wednesday, April 15, 2020
  • County Executive Molinaro participated in a Virtual Contact Breakfast this morning with the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce. If you were unable to attend, or want to rewatch the webinar, you can watch the full recording HERE.

  • The New York Department of Health has issued the Interim Guidance for the requirement that businesses offer face masks to employees that must interact with the public. The guidance can be found HERE.

  • In today's (Wednesday) press conference, Governor Cuomo said that he did not expect this difficult time to end until a vaccine is created. He did say that the healthcare system has stabilized, which is a good sign that the social distancing measures have been successful so far

  • In the same press conference, Governor Cuomo said that there is a blueprint for how they will reopen the state. It will be based on a multi-phase approach using criteria to determine who can reopen. The criteria for each tier will be; 1) How essential is the business? 2) What is the risk of infection spread? 3) What practices and precautions the businesses can implement? More information will be provided when it is released by the governor's office.

  • He also said he would be signing an Executive Order that would require any individual in public who cannot maintain social distancing to wear a nose/mouth covering. There is still a lot of ambiguity to this announcement and a copy of the Executive Order will be included when it is released. The policy will go into effect on Saturday.

  • Tomorrow at 3PM, be sure to honk your horn twice to support all those in the MTA and public transit systems who are working everyday to make sure essential workers are still able to get to work. This is part of the #HeroesMovingHeroes campaign to show our appreciation to an often overlooked but vital part of our state, regional, and local economy.

  • Celebrate National High Five Day tomorrow and give a "Dutchess Air Five". Dutchess Tourism is encouraging all of Dutchess County to show appreciation for our local service industry, with support in the following ways: Purchase gift cards (online or over-the-phone) for later use; Shop online stores or participate in virtual experiences; Share 5-star love with favorite businesses by posting stellar reviews on Trip Advisor, Yelp, Google and on their own sites. Businesses: Promote the initiative on your social platforms using the provided graphic in the link. Help make this initiative go viral locally. For more information, click HERE.

  • The Dyson Foundation will host a webinar tomorrow starting at 11AM, that will focus on how non-profits can remain economically viable through COVID-19. The webinar, "Nonprofit Financial Planning in Response to COVID-19", can be registered for in advance by going HERE.
To get updates as they come in and are verified, be sure to join our Facebook Group by searching "Dutchess Business Notification Network", or by clicking HERE .

To view our website and see previous emails, important documents, and other resources available, click HERE .
If you have any questions regarding the information in this notification or any other business related concerns and suggestions, please email [email protected]. Please do NOT contact elected officials regarding information in this email as they are currently inundated with handling the government response to this crisis. This network was created to help coordinate responses and share the burden, and we ask that you please contact us with any questions or concerns so our elected officials can focus on their task at hand. Thank you for your continued support through this time.
Resources With Links
United States Small Business Administration
Centers For Disease Control

Novel Coronavirus Hotline (24/7): 1-888-364-3065
New York State Department of Labor
Dutchess County Government


Dutchess County Mental Health Hotline (24/7): (877) 485-9700
Dutchess Tourism
Details on major attraction closures, lodging updates, and restaurant regulations (including a list of restaurant and farms open for takeout, curbside & delivery) can be found here : https://dutchesstourism.com/covid-19-consumer-updates
Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce
Dutchess County Workforce Investment Board
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Dutchess Business Notification Network | [email protected]