WBFO s Tom Dinki reports about COVID-19 s impact on nursing homes.
About a third of all U.S. COVID-19 deaths have been linked to nursing homes. In Erie County, nursing home residents make up more than half of all COVID deaths.
The New York State Attorney General, in a report released in January, found many nursing homes across the state failed to provide adequate personal protective equipment and follow infection protocols, especially during the early months of the pandemic.
Plus, visitor restrictions have left families unable to see loved ones in nursing homes for most, if not all, of the last year.
For three weeks this summer, Torn Space Theater was able to put on 14 outdoor performances at Silo City in downtown Buffalo.
“It was capped at 50 people. They had to be six feet apart. And so under those guidelines, we were able to do performances,” said Dan Shanahan, the nonprofit theater group’s artistic director. “But of course, there has been no opportunity to do indoor performances.”
So when Cuomo announced the New York Arts Revival on Tuesday, saying the state cannot wait until the summer to bring back the arts and provide a living wage for artists, Shanahan was immediately interested.