Schuyler County has two virus cases

SCHUYLER COUNTY--Schuyler County Public Health notified citizens, Friday, March 27 that the first resident of Schuyler County has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. As of press time for this edition, 84 tests have been received, two are positive and 82 are negative. 23 residents are currently in quarantine and being monitored.
"We have prepared for COVID-19 to arrive in Schuyler County," said Deborah Minor, Public Health Director. "We ask that people please stay home as much as possible and limit contact with others. We need to slow down how quickly the virus spreads in the community. This will help make sure our hospitals don't get overwhelmed by too many sick people at once."
In a follow up video on Facebook addressing a number of questions, Minor clarified there was no public location data released about the positive persons because they had been staying home. She also suggested with the spread in surrounding counties and New York state, "the safest way to act is as if COVID-19 is everywhere. Thinking that COVID-19 is contained within only specific towns would be dangerous to the health of our communities."
Last weekend, Schuyler County officials asked "potential visitors to the county to follow state and federal instructions and stay home until our nation defeats the pandemic."
While there are no travel bans in New York or required quarantine periods for those that are traveling, staying home, social distancing and washing hands are major elements to limiting COVID-19.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo has directed 100 percent of the nonessential workforce to work from home until at least April 15. Schools will remain closed until that time, however it could extend longer.