Coronavirus affects Ulster County jails
Inmate visits, programs suspended; 6 in Dutchess County self-isolating
Ulster County Sheriff Juan Figueroa has suspended all inmate visits and programs for the next 30 days in light of the growing number of coronavirus cases in New York State.
Meanwhile, six Dutchess County residents are self-isolating after potentially coming into contact with a town of Rochester man who has tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
In a press release Monday, Figueroa said in order to protect the safety of jail inmates and employees, beginning Tuesday all inmate visits and programs will be halted and all legal and clergy visits will occur in the non-contact visiting rooms. Requests for emergency visits will be granted on a case by case basis, and will also take place in the non-contact visiting rooms. Such requests will occur by approval and appointment.
The decision to bar jail visits is the latest in an ongoing effort to stem the spread of the virus, which has infected 142 people in New York state as of Monday.
On Sunday, Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan announced that a Rochester man who had recently traveled to France tested positive for the virus. He and a family member who has not exhibited any symptoms are under quarantine and being monitored by the Ulster County Department of Health and Behavioral Health.
Seven other people in Ulster County are also currently under quarantine, though none have shown symptoms and officials do not believe they have the coronavirus, Ryan said.
Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro said in addition to the six Dutchess County residents who may have been in contact with the Rochester man, there are seven other Dutchess County residents who are self-quarantined as the result of travel.
Molinaro said all 13 individu
als are being monitored by the Dutchess County Department of Behavioral & Community Health. He said none have exhibited any symptoms related to the COVID-19 virus strain.
“In most cases, there’s no expectation they would have contracted nor would they have been contagious or may have been able to spread it,” Molinaro said.
To date, there have been no confirmed cases of the virus in Dutchess County, Molinaro said.
As of Monday morning, there were 142 positive cases in New York state, up from 105 cases on Sunday. Most of the cases in New York are in Westchester County, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
At a press conference Monday, Cuomo announced that the state will begin to produce its own sanitizer - using state prison inmates - to combat the current shortage and what he said is price gouging across the state. The sanitizer, which will have a higher percentage of alcohol than most commercial sanitizers, will be made available to local governments.
Hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes have been in high demand as fear over the virus spreads. On Sunday, shelves in several town of Ulster supermarkets were completely devoid of either item as residents rushed to stock up before supplies ran out.
Officials in Dutchess and Ulster counties said they have initiated emergency response teams within their respective counties and are implementing protocols recommended by the state Health Department and U.S. Center for Disease Control.
“This is very much for us, what we’ve prepared for, but also what we put into effect in every other emergency,” Molinaro said.
Molinaro and Ulster Deputy Assistant County Executive Dan Torres said county leaders are in regular contact with local municipal officials, colleges, schools and other organizations and are updating county websites with information from the state Health Department and U.S. Centers for Disease Control. “We’ve been very careful to encourage residents to look to information that is consistent accurate and sourced,” Molinaro said, “as important as it is not to overreact to the virus it is equally important not to under react.”
Torres said that no state of emergency had been issued for Ulster County and that a statement from the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office saying otherwise was incorrect.
Symptoms of COVID-19 can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing. Most develop only mild symptoms. But some people, usually those with other medical complications including compromised immune systems, develop more severe symptoms, including pneumonia, which can be fatal.
The Centers for Disease Control recommends people wash their hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, avoid coming in contact with people who are sick, clean and disinfect frequently-touched objects and surfaces using a cleaning product that contains bleach and when possible avoid large gatherings.