Governor's Executive Order: Face coverings MUST be worn in public.
From Governor Cuomo / New York State:
- You MUST cover your mouth and nose when in public and when social distancing cannot be maintained. I am issuing an Executive Order requiring all people in New York to wear a mask or a face covering when out in public and in situations where social distancing cannot be maintained, such as on public transportation. The Executive Order will go into effect on Friday, April 17th. Remember that wearing a face covering does not mean you can ignore other precautions — we still direct all New Yorkers to stay at home for all but essential errands.
- Beginning this week, we will start conducting antibody tests, prioritizing frontline healthcare workers, first responders and other essential workers. Using a new finger prick method, the state will test up to 2,000 New Yorkers per day for antibodies (proteins in our blood that indicate someone has had the virus). The state is also asking the FDA for expedited approval of a finger prick antibody test that could test up to 100,000 New Yorkers a day. We are continuing to engage with other partners including hospital labs and private companies to bring mass antibody testing to scale statewide.
- New York’s healthcare situation has stabilized so we can now help others in need. New York will never forget the generosity people across the country showed our state, and I said when you need help New Yorkers will be there. We will send 100 ventilators to Michigan and 50 ventilators to Maryland.
- An Executive Order will be issued requiring nursing homes to report positive COVID-19 cases and deaths to the families of those who are living in the nursing home facility within 24 hours. The order will include adult home and other assisted living facilities. Previously, the State Department of Health issued a guidance asking these facilities to communicate this information to families; this new order makes it mandatory.
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From the County:
The Saratoga County Department of Public Health today announced that there are 235 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Saratoga County and 14 of those individuals are hospitalized at this time.
To date, 2,804 residents have been tested, producing a positive test rate of 8.38%. It is important to note that with every positive case that is placed in isolation, there could be anywhere from two to 50 people who may have made close contact and should be placed into quarantine. By quarantining close contacts, we are slowing the spread; when those in quarantine become sick, they are not out spreading the disease.
Our local hospitals are able to keep up with the number of patients who need an ICU bed or ventilator, and there is no staffing shortage at the current rate. This positive effect can only be achieved by everyone staying home and stopping the spread. If everyone fails to social distance, the number of positive cases will rise and potentially compromise our healthcare system. It’s important to understand that we must remain steady on this course.
The Department of Public Health is encouraging all individuals to wear a mask any time they are out in public. That being said, we are aware of mask shortages. The CDC has a helpful resource on its website outlining how to wear a mask and instructions on how to make a homemade mask. That link can be accessed here:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html. Individuals should be careful not to touch their eyes, nose and mouth when removing their face covering and wash hands immediately after removing. Be sure to wash your homemade mask often.
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