Ulster advises all residents to wear masks
Dutchess reports 81 new active cases, pushing its total over 900
KINGSTON, N.Y. » Ulster County Health Commissioner Dr. Carol Smith issued a public health advisory Sunday, Dec. 5, “strongly recommending” all county residents to wear masks in public spaces regardless of their vaccination status in light of the emergence of the Omicron variant and as active cases of COVID-19 across the region continue to rise.
On the same day, Dutchess County on Sunday reported 922 active cases of coronavirus, a whopping increase of 81 cases over the day before, when it reported 841 active cases on the county’s COVID-19 dashboard
Ulster County reported 878 active cases on Friday, up 34 from the previous day. Ulster does not update its dashboard on the weekends.
In addition to urging county residents to wear masks when indoors, Smith also called on business owners to require employees to wear masks when indoors. Ulster County employees and members of the public have been required to wear masks when inside any county facility since August, under an executive order issued by Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan.
The commissioner’s advisory applies to all county residents over the age of 2 who are medically tolerant of wearing a mask. It does not when an individual is “performing an activity that cannot be done while wearing a mask, such as sleeping; actively eating or drinking, or is performing, including but not limited to playing music, delivering a speech to an audience seated at least six feet away, and acting in a theater.”
“All individuals, regardless of vaccination status or past COVID-19 infection, should wear a mask at all times when indoors and in a public setting, including at groceries, building lobbies, offices, stores, and other common or shared spaces where individuals may interact,” Smith said in a press release announcing the advisory. “All employers in Ulster County should require their employees to wear a mask while working indoors, and while in close contact with the public or co-workers.”
In the release, Ryan said he supported the commissioner’s recommendation and urged all
residents who have not yet been vaccinated or received their booster to do so “immediately.”
The health advisory comes one week after Ryan declared a state of emergency in Ulster County as the number of active COVID-19 cases rose to the highest level since April.
That order, according to a release issued at the time, will remain in effect until at least Dec. 28. It enables the county to obtain more quickly needed testing supplies for local schools, businesses, and families; bolster available public health and medical staff resources across the county; and, if necessary, to redeploy the workforce to support testing, contact tracing, and vaccination efforts.
Active cases
• Ulster County: 878 reported Friday, up 34 from the previous day. (Peak was 2,622 on Jan. 30.) Ulster County does not report COVID statistics on Saturdays.
• Dutchess County: 922 reported Saturday, up 81 from the previous day. (Peak was 2,576 on Jan. 16.)
Latest positivity rates
• Ulster County: 7.5% (as of Friday)
• Dutchess County: 5.31%
Pandemic history
• Ulster County: 21,417 confirmed cases, 20,237 recoveries, 302 deaths. (No new deaths reported Friday.)
• Dutchess County: 38,515 confirmed cases, 513 deaths. (No new deaths reported Sunday.)
Vaccination rates
Data as of Saturday, Dec. 4, from New York state's online vaccine tracker:
• Ulster County: 68.48% fully vaccinated, 76.4% with at least one dose of a two-dose regimen, 85.4% of 18+ population with at least one dose.
• Dutchess County: 63.28% fully vaccinated, 71.3% with at least one dose of a two-dose regimen, 80.7% of 18+ population with at least one dose.
• Appointments: vaccinateulster.com, bit.ly/dut-vax, bit.ly/ny-vaxme.
Volunteers needed
Ulster County is seeking volunteers to staff and support the county's COVID-19 vaccination efforts, particularly medical volunteers to be vaccinators and screeners. Vaccinators need both an active license and a current CPR certificate or can be basic and advanced EMTs with a current CPR certificate. Screeners create the record of vaccination for each patient, so should be computer literate, have attention to detail, and good customer service and communication skills. Both of these medical volunteers will receive a stipend. Sign up to volunteer at https:// covid19.ulstercountyny.gov/ vaccine-volunteer/.