January 18, 2022 Daily Headlines

The Tompkins County Health Department has released updated COVID guidelines. The county is telling residents who test positive for the virus to remain in isolation for five days, and wear a well fitting mask for an additional five days after leaving isolation.  Since the county has suspended contact tracing, it is recommending that people who test positive inform anyone with whom they were in close contact.  Residents may still receive a phone call from state case investigators. 

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The Ithaca Planning and Economic Development Committee will be meeting tomorrow and reviewing a proposed amendment to the city code. The amendment would require landlords to provide a 180 day notice before renewing a current rental agreement, showing the rental unit to new clients, or entering into a rental agreement with new tenants. The city code currently requires just a 60 day notice. According to the Ithaca Voice, the measure was proposed by Alderperson Patrick Mehler and is intended to prevent landlords from pressuring student tenants into agreeing to new deals shortly after moving in. 

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A Cornell Professor is suing the New York State Health Department over recent directives that included race as a risk factor in COVID-19. According to the Albany Times Union, the Hochul Administration released a memo regarding new COVID treatment pills which reduce the risk of severe illness. The memo stated that a non-white race should be considered a risk factor due to “longstanding systemic health and social inequalities.” William Jacobson, a Cornell Law professor is suing, arguing the directive creates a “racial hierarchy.” In a statement to Fox News, a spokeswoman for the health department said race did not disqualify patients, but was simply one risk factor to take into account. According to the New York Times, Black, Hispanic, and Native Americans are about twice as likely to die from COVID than white Americans. In addition, white New Yorkers are more likely to be vaccinated than their black counterparts.  

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New York State has announced it’s providing $2 Million to a fund for victims of a fire in the Bronx last week. According to CNN, Lieutenant Governor Brian Benjamin announced the funds at a mass funeral on Sunday morning. The funds will go towards relocation, rent assistance, and critical household needs. The fire killed 17 people including 8 children in a 19-story building. It was the deadliest fire in New York City since 1990.