Manor Ink March 2021

4 | MAR. 2021 | MANOR INK NEWS
A year of learning to live
with the threat of illness
Continued from pg. 1
in addition to reflecting on the past year’s
turmoils.
PANDEMIC
YEAR ONE
A long way to go
Councilman Andy McRell believes that
one year from now the United States will
be pandemic free, but he also stresses that
we have a long way to go. Hygiene and
safety restrictions will remain in effect for
quite a while as people gradually
begin to feel safe and become
accustomed to a new way of life.
That life will certainly be altered
as a result of this one-of-a-kind year, but
McRell hopes a change will come.
“In five to ten years there will be a larger
tax base with an increase in job and business
opportunities for younger people,”
ECONOMIC FALLOUT Early product shortages were
a challenge for Peck’s Market Manager Evan Irwin.
Recently, though, business has improved due to an
influx of second homeowners. Nicole Davis photo
he said. McRell feels families working in
the hospitality industry or with school
age children have unquestionably been
the ones most affected by the virus in the
past year. The Town of Rockland councilman
adds, “With remote
learning, those families
take the brunt of the pandemic.
I hope people who
have lost their jobs were
able to get the assistance
Andy McRell
needed to get by.”
Throughout the past
year, McRell noticed that Livingston
Manor residents did not seem to be very
receptive to the influx of New York City
people. That he feels is a major concern,
as the morale of the town is hugely affected.
“The sooner the town accepts the new,
evolving changes occurring in Livingston
Manor, the better,” he said. McRell believes
one upside of the devastating pandemic
is the increase in Livingston Manor
residents and the ensuing housing boom.
Local businesses and markets he feels
will flourish with the new customers.
Financial losses, market fluctuations
Peck’s Market Manager Evan Irwin
discussed the financial effects on the Livingston
Manor supermarket resulting
from the pandemic with Manor Ink. In late
May, a projected loss of $10 to $20 million
in tax revenues to Sullivan County’s $200
million budget due to the coronavirus
was reported by county Director of Communications
Dan Hust. That has led to
a cataclysmic economic fallout throughout
county villages and hamlets. Even
though the labor market has recovered to
some degree, thousands of county residents
still face financial troubles.
Irwin looks forward to the day when he
will be able to greet his customers with a
friendly smile without needing to wear a
mask. He said that the beginning of the
pandemic in April was very difficult, with
customers trying to come in without a
masks. “But people are now falling into
the routine of mask wearing,” he said.
“There is no longer an issue with customers
entering the store without one.”
Before rules were mandated, Peck’s
employees all wore masks. “The staff has
been very good at adapting to the new
situation,” Irwin said. He also noted an
increase in business. “As a result of many
second homeowners moving to the area,
we are getting a lot more business and I
hope it continues.” With the influx of the
On Mar. 13, LMCS students,
staff and faculty went to school
not knowing that it would be
the final ‘normal’ day ...
new clientele, organic and natural products
are more in demand. The produce
section is in constant flux attempting to
keep up.
The pandemic initially caught the supermarket
industry off guard. Between
the months of March and April, shortages
of many products became a grave issue
for Peck’s. “We became paranoid when
certain products became available, ordering
a lot in case of the second wave, to
make sure the product will be in stock,”
A 2020-21 COVID-19 TIMELINE
Compiled by Nicole Davis with Diana Fredenburg
Mar. 13
Last day of
school before
closure
Mar. 27
68 COVID-19
cases reported in
Sullivan County
April 23
630 cases and 17
COVID-19 deaths
in Sullivan County
May 28
Phase 1 reopening
of the Mid-Hudson
region begins
June 27
LMCS seniors graduate in
a socially distanced ceremony
July 7
Phase 4 reopening of
Mid-Hudson region begins
Aug. 24
Cuomo announces high
school low-contact fall sports
may begin on Sept. 21
MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST
Mar. 22
Cuomo issues
mandate requiring
nonessential activity
and travel to cease
April 20
10,750 meals
delivered to
294 families
since Mar. 24
May 21
House of Representatives
ensures every county, town
and municipality will qualify
for federal coronavirus funding
June 26
LMCS teachers and
staff show appreciation
for students with
a festive parade
Aug. 18
School board
announces state aid
to LMCS reduced
by 20 percent