SCHOOLS REMAIN OUT TO APRIL 15
A decision on whether to extend the closures will be made by the middle of next month
School children and their parents are bracing for another two weeks without school in an effort to stem the spread of the coronavirus, and Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan said he is confident Gov. Andrew Cuomo made the right decision when he ordered school closures extended on Friday.
Speaking Friday afternoon at a Facebook town hall event cohosted with Ulster County Director of Emergency Services Steve Peterson, Ryan called the closure of schools through at least April 15 a “relatively bounded time decision” that gives leaders time “to see what is happening” before taking the next step.
Schools in New York state will remain closed “to reduce the spread of COVID-19,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Friday on Twitter and in an address at the Javits Center in New York City.
“School districts will continue to provide childcare, meals and daily programming,” the governor wrote on Twitter. He said the state will reassess the closure in mid-April.
“I don’t know if it is good or bad news, but it is the right public health and safety call. Distance learning is happening and will continue,” Ryan said.
Schools statewide were closed as of March 18 as part of a state of emergency declaration by the governor on March 16.
On March 13, schools in Ulster County were ordered closed as of March 16 in an effort to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19.
At the time, Ryan said in a prepared statement that Ulster County schools “will be closed for instruction, after-school and extracurricular events, and public events.”
Ryan held his seventh Facebook town hall on Friday to update residents on the county’s response to COVID-19.
Ryan said there are now 112 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 in Ulster County, out of approximately 864 tests administered. There are 742 people who were tested and did not have the virus.
Ryan said that while the number “may seem low” when compared to the county’s population of about 180,000, experts believe the actual number of positive cases in Ulster County and elsewhere are about 10 times the known number, bringing Ulster County’s possible total to about 1,000.
Both Ryan and Peterson said they expect the number of positive cases to continue to rise.
He said the county’s positive case total also does not reflect results from most of the 439 tests administered as of 11 a.m. Friday at the town of Ulster mobile testing site at TechCity.
Peterson said a second mobile test site will open at 9 a.m. on Monday morning, March 30, behind Ellenville Regional Hospital, 10 Healthy Way, Ellenville, and will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
“As we continue to see COVID-19 cases increase across the county, I strongly urge residents to take this threat seriously,” Ryan said. “Stay home, follow our guidelines for social distancing, and call your doctor or our hotline if you’re experiencing symptoms. Don’t
just think about yourself, consider your neighbors — especially the most vulnerable members of our community.”
In a demonstration of social distancing, Ryan and Peterson sat 6 feet apart Friday at a long table with a tape measure marking their separation. Ryan said he had fielded questions in the past week from residents about why he and guests on other Facebook live events sat close to one another despite of the 6-foot rule.
Also, in anticipation of continued growth in COVID-19 cases, Ryan said he
is working to increase hospital capacity in the county.
Currently, there are 100 hospital beds, 20 intensive care beds and 25 ventilators in Ulster County. Ryan said 400 beds, 80 intensive care beds and 100 ventilators are needed.
“We know, based on what we’re seeing in New York City and around the world, that we have a wave coming and we’re pushing hard to get ahead of that wave,” Ryan said. “We need to quadruple our current capacity. That will be a real challenge for us, but I’m confident we can get there.”
He said local hospitals are working to increase their capacities by 50 percent to accommodate the pandemic and the county has been
“scouting” additional sites.
“It is extremely important to get assistance from the state and federal government. Extremely important,” Peterson said.
Statewide, according to the New York State Department of Health, there are 44,635 confirmed positive cases.
Of the state’s 44,635 confirmed positive cases, 25,398 are in New York City. 225 are in Dutchess County, 910 are in Orange County, 64 are in Sullivan County, 20 are in Columbia County, 10 are in Greene County and eight are in Delaware County.
Also on the call Friday, Ryan acknowledged the “frustration” of workers at grocery stores, gas stations,
power companies and internet providers who are working on the front lines. Peterson said efforts are being made to find supplies of personal protective equipment for them as well as for healthcare workers.
“We are working at and we’re trying,” Ryan said.
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Trailways announced in a tweet Friday night that it will discontinue all bus service throughout New York state, effective Monday, March 30.
The company said it doesn’t have a specific restart date, but added it believes it will resume service in April. Trailways also said people can get more information by calling its customer care center at (800)
858-8555.
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On Friday afternoon, the Columbia County Health Department announced that four residents of the Pine Haven Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Philmont have tested positive for COVID-19.
According to a press release, each of the four individuals is isolated at the facility and their symptoms are improving.
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Also, on Friday, Orange County Health Commissioner Dr. Irina Gelman said any public site in Orange County is now considered a potential site of COVID-19 exposure.
“If you become mildly ill, stay home and manage your
symptoms. For residents who have severe symptoms indicative of COVID-19, contact your medical provider to discuss a plan of care,” stated an Orange County press release.
In Dutchess County, effective Monday, County Clerk’s Office will be closed to the public due to the pandemic.
For more information visit https://iapps.courts. state.ny.us/nyscef/HomePage.
All state Department of Motor Vehicle Offices also remain closed.
For local stories about the coronavirus, go to bit.ly/ DFCOVID19. For live local updates from around the region, go to bit.ly/ DFcovid19live.