The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
RISING CONCERNS
Madison County undertakes COVID-19 outbreak at Green Empire Farms
WAMPSVILLE, N.Y. » Madison County held a press briefing Tuesday morning to address rising concerns over a COVID-19 outbreak at Green Empire Farms in Oneida.
After seeing a significant rise in positive results coming from workers at the facility over the past week or so, Madison County ramped-up testing in coordination with the state health department to get a better grasp of the virus’s prevalence, according to county officials.
Officials said 186 tests were given on the first day of testing, and subsequently, it was discovered that 75 workers who reside in Madison County had tested positive.
According to officials, 53 additional workers also tested positive, but they live communally in Oneida County, so these cases are part of Oneida County’s numbers, not Madison County’s.
In total, the number of active COVID-19 cases in Madison County stands at 127. There have been 257 confirmed cases since the beginning of the pan
“They’ve been very receptive and are willing to work with us in support of everything that we are trying to do.”
— Madison County Public Health Director Eric Faisst
demic. As of Tuesday, 124 of those have recovered, and six COVID-19 related deaths have been reported.
Officials noted that not everyone who is tested at Empire Farms is showing signs of severe sickness— some might not even be symptomatic at all. There have been at least two from the greenhouse that have been hospitalized, however.
Madison County officials would like to remind residents that not just the sick can have and spread this disease. They agree that precaution is crucial to keeping the virus contained and away from others.
Though protective protocols were in place at the greenhouse, there may have
been other reasons the virus was able to spread so quickly among workers.
Madison County Public Health Director Eric Faisst shared that the greenhouse was working with the health department early on, as early as March, to ensure proper protocols and safety measures were in place.
“They’ve been very receptive and are willing to work with us in support of everything that we are trying to do,” he stated.
Madison County Chairman John Becker agreed, stating, “They were very receptive and helpful” when the facility was first contacted last week about having an issue. For clarification, Becker noted that MAC Contracting, which is in charge of hiring the employees, is who has been in contact with the county and who is working with officials.
It is the health department’s understanding, Faisst shared, that using face masks, social distancing, and monitoring employees temperatures before work were all measures being utilized at Empire Farms to prevent the virus’s ability to spread. So why has an outbreak of this scale occurred?
While the specific reason is unknown, some outlying factors may be at hand. Employees at Empire Farms are seasonal, officials explained, and live closely together in temporary housing as well as travel together to and from work on a bus or other form of transportation. Because of the close nature of being an employee off-site, this may have contributed to more opportunities for the virus to spread from one person to the next, despite preventative measures put in place.
This circumstance may call into question how businesses following a similar model will have to adapt, including Empire Farms. Officials advise daily that individuals should practice social distancing—not only on the job where enforced by their employers, but also on their own time by their own means. For these workers, that may have been near impossible with the resources that were available to them.
There has been no decision to close the greenhouse
as of yet, officials stated. That would be under the discretion of the business itself, or, Becker added, the state department of agriculture and markets could step in if necessary.
Faisst shared that many of the workers reside in two Madison County hotels (Super 8 and Days Inn) or live at other closed quarters— this is both a good and a bad thing, he explained. With everyone living together in one place so closely, this may have helped the virus spread, but it can also help the virus be contained. Now that the test results are in, quarantine and isolation can begin to protect the public and the workers, Faisst said.
He commented further on the two main strategies being used by the county to fight this virus from the beginning; community mitigation, and containment. Without a vaccine, treatment, or cure, these strategies can make or break COVID-19’S impact, according to officials.
The first strategy, community mitigation, involves setting rules in place to slow the virus’s ability to spread. This includes social distancing, wearing face masks, shutting down schools and stores, etc., Faisst explained.
Diving into the second strategy, containment, he shared “This involves identifying potential problem areas, conducting testing to ID positive cases, and
then getting them into isolation/quarantine to help stop the spread.” This is exactly what the health department has done in this circumstance, according to their announcements to the public thus far.
When it comes to COVID-19, knowledge is power, and knowing who is infected is key. These individuals can then be quarantined, their contacts can be traced, and health officials can get a hold of where the virus has been.
Another round of targeted testing for the greenhouse took place Wednesday, according to officials, and the results of that will likely show more high numbers. There are potentially 300 employees who can be tested, Faisst reported, and some of them already have been. Just how great of an impact COVID-19 has had on Empire Farms won’t be known until at least the end of the week.
Until this wave passes, residents may have to bear alarmingly high numbers for the foreseeable future.
The health department is communicating with those who have been in contact with the infected individuals, and they will alert the public of potential exposures as they are discovered.
Members of the public who visited the following locations during certain times and dates should selfmonitor for symptoms. The following exposures traced
from all COVID-19 cases, not just from the greenhouse, are as follows:
Walmart at 2024 Genesee St. Oneida, NY 13421
- April 25 from 6 p.m. 8:30 p.m.
- April 28 from 10 a.m. - 11 a.m.; and 6 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
- April 29 from 3 p.m. 4 p.m.
- April 30 from 6 p.m. 8:30 p.m.
- May 1 from 5 p.m. - 8 p.m.
- May 2 from 12 p.m. – 1 p.m.; and 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.
- May 3 from 1 p.m. – 2 p.m.
Walgreens at 104 Genesee St., Oneida, NY 13421
- April 27 from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
- April 28 from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
- May 3 from 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Save A Lot at 2080 Glenwood Shopping Plaza, Oneida, NY 13421 -May2
-May3
Dollar Tree at 2104 Glenwood Shopping Plaza, Oneida, NY 13421
- May 2 from 2 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Dollar General at 423 S Peterboro St., Canastota, NY 13032
- May 3 from 1 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Colonial Laundromat at 502 Lenox Ave., Oneida, NY 13421
- April 28 from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Domino’s Pizza at 1 Glenwood Ave., Oneida, NY 13421
- April 29
Price Chopper at 142 Genesee St., Oneida, NY 13421
- May 1 from 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.
- May 2 from 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Tops Friendly Market at Rt. 5 & Oxbow Road, Canastota, NY 13032
- April 30 from 4 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Members of the public who visited these locations during the times and dates listed should self-monitor for symptoms.
Additionally, officials wanted to address two accounts of false information circulating about the outbreak at Empire Farms. One being that the greenhouse environment helps spread the virus. The second being that the produce coming out of the greenhouse is potentially unsafe.
Both of these ideas are untrue, Madison County officials said. Faisst stated that there has been no evidence of the virus spreading through food or through the greenhouse.
Some may be quick to point fingers at the greenhouse workers, but Madison County officials hope to see compassion and understanding. Getting this virus can happen to anyone. Faisst commented, “We’ve got to refrain from stigmatizing this particular group. They’re humans. During our testing, they’re extremely cooperative, they’re extremely gracious, and they are scared. So let’s not make it difficult for them by pigeon holding them.”
Becker added to Faisst’s sentiment, stating, “We need to remember that we’re all human. These people who are getting it are human. Their families are going to be affected. These people who get it, if one of their family members doesn’t make it, they’re affected the rest of their lives.”
Many may be concerned about so many people testing positive all at once and the toll this may take on the general public’s risk. To this concern, officials seem to be suggesting the same advise: Treat every outing as if COVID-19 is there, because it likely is.
As results are coming out from state antibody testing, it’s becoming more evident that many people are walking around with the virus without even knowing it.
Becker commented, “Anybody could have it, and if we tested everybody, who knows who’s walking around right now with it. We don’t know. This thing is stealthy.” He added that increased testing, ideally for everyone, is crucial to defeat this virus. But, facing the facts, he added, “We don’t have tests to test everybody. We can only do what we can do. We know we’ve got a couple of hot spots. We’re working on it.”
The sentiment that the virus is everywhere is not to induce fear, but to induce pro-activity. “We’ve just got to use our heads. We’ve said repeatedly, you’re the only ones that can keep yourself safe,” Becker said.
He and other officials continue to stress the importance of social distancing, wearing masks, hand washing, and other measures to fight the spread of this disease.
Madison County officials also addressed the rise in positive test results at The Grand Rehabilitation and Nursing in Chittenango.
There have been at least 17 cases from this facility as of Tuesday, as well as one death connected to having COVID-19. Targeted testing has been conducted at this location for residents and staff, and Faisst stated that the county health department continues to work together with the state to make sure measures are in place to reduce exposure at the facility while limiting risk to the surrounding community.
Widespread testing is also currently being done at Oneida Health for their residents and staff at their extended care facility, Faisst said, emphasizing the county’s efforts to control the virus to the best of their ability. Though there has been no report of a known outbreak at this facility, targeting testing to establishments such as these is crucial to protecting workers as well as residents who are vulnerable.
As more tests are conducted, the scale of COVID-19 is likely to rise—but so will the ability to contain.
In addition to these announcements, Faisst addressed noticeable complacency occurring in the county as the pandemic rolls into its second month. “I do want you to realize though that our rise in positive cases cannot just be attributed to those two locations (Empire Farms and The Grand). We have seen an increase in cases throughout the county, totally unrelated to those two locations, which tells me that people in our community are becoming complacent and not practicing social distancing, not wearing a face cover.”
As always, Madison County’s website has resources for protecting yourself and others from the disease as well as resources to help the community cope.