By Kate Hill
Staff Writer
On May 14, Madison County Health Department and Madison County Board of Supervisors provided residents with an update on the county’s COVID-19 response.
At the time of the press briefing, the health department reported the following numbers:
2,420 patients tested
65 test results pending
2, 070 negative tests
285 positive tests
229 patients recovered
7 deaths
John Becker, chairman of the Madison County Board of Supervisors, announced that the county is set to begin opening up.
“I understand the governor is going to Onondaga County at 11 a.m., and I suspect that he will announce that our region is going to be opening,” Becker said. “I want to thank his team that we [have been working] with — the regional team — on seeing that we have the [testing] numbers that we should. Kudos go out to our other partners in Cayuga, Oswego, Cortland and Onondaga Counties, especially to Ryan McMahon . . . He has done an exceptional job with his folks in Onondaga County to get our numbers up to where they should be. Our daily goal here in Central New York has been 775 [tests], and our seven-day average is 845, according to our calculations. That puts us in the mix to be open.”
According to the chairman, the county website now features guidelines for businesses hoping to reopen.
Becker noted that every business is required to have a reopening plan in place to protect their employees and customers.
The current phase of reopening (Phase 1) includes construction, manufacturing, retail trade (for delivery and curbside pick-up), wholesale trade, agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting.
The county is asking businesses that are dealing with the public to strictly enforce face covering and social distancing requirements.
Becker also reported that Madison County would slowly begin to bring its employees back to campus the following week.
He added that the majority of the 175 employees who have been working from home likely will continue to do so.
The county buildings will remain closed to the public until further notice.
Public Health Director Eric Faisst announced that the individuals who tested positive during the targeted testing event at the Green Empire Farms are recovering. As of that morning, 91 percent of the workers had recovered, while 29 workers remained in quarantine.
After consulting with the NYS Health Department, the Madison County Health Department will be requiring Green Empire Farms to complete the construction of their onsite housing facilities and to transfer all workers residing at the hotels to the facilities within the next 60 days. Green Empire Farms will also be required to develop a plan to address social distancing, the number of workers per room, face coverings, cleaning protocols, etc. The facilities plan will be submitted to Faisst’s office for approval.
“Due to our targeted testing, we are now only one to two cases per day, and that’s really good,” said Faisst.
The county is also working to continue ramping up its testing.
A new testing site is tentatively scheduled to open at the Oneida Walmart on May 21.
According to Faisst, Kinney Drugs has also approached the health department about opening up testing sites throughout the county.
“We are encouraged by that and are waiting to hear back from them as to a timeframe,” Faisst said. “ . . . We are also working closely with Upstate Medical Hospital to get use of their mobile unit, so that we can do mobile testing throughout the county. We are working out the details of that at this moment. Until then, we ask people to go out and get tested, especially if you are essential workers.”
Testing site locations are posted on the county website at madisoncounty.ny.gov/2589/Diagnostic-Testing-Sites-for-COVID-19. Testing is also available in neighboring counties.
The public health director said he anticipates “hotspots” to occur as reopening begins, but that his department is working closely with the office of emergency management to make sure the county is prepared.
“It is so important to remember that for this reopening to work — even more so than ever before — we still need to practice social distancing, wear a face cover when out in public . . . stay home when you aren’t feeling well, limit the number of trips you need to make, and practice good hygiene,” Faisst said. “These are still the best defense against this virus until we get a vaccine, which won’t be for months now.”
Faisst concluded by clarifying that someone who tests positive is put into “isolation, while someone who has been exposed to someone who is positive is put into
“quarantine.”
All general, non-medical questions regarding COVID-19 should be directed to the Madison County COVID-19 Hotline at 315-366-2770.
For more information about the novel Coronavirus, visit Madison County at madisoncounty.ny.gov/2479/Coronavirus-COVID-19, call the New York State Coronavirus Hotline at 1-888-364-3065, or visit CDC at cdc.gov/coronavirus.
