Coronavirus in NY: COVID-19 case in Tompkins County a member of Ithaca College community
Ashley BivianoOfficials in Tompkins County confirmed the person who tested positive for COVID-19 is a member of the Ithaca College community.
Ithaca College President Shirley M. Collado released a statement Sunday and said the news was "not necessarily unexpected" but "may hit home for a lot of us in a way that makes this situation very real."
Public Health Director Frank Kruppa announced Saturday the sample tested positive at the Wadsworth Laboratory in Albany.
The person remains in mandatory isolation since reporting symptoms of the coronavirus to the Tompkins County Health Department on March 5.
There are 12 members of the Ithaca College community who have been identified as possibly being exposed to this person on March 5 or later.
Nurses conducted a contact investigation and are now in daily contact with any individuals who were identified as possibly being exposed on March 5 or later.
Frank Kruppa, Tompkins County Public Health Director said, “We will continue to work closely and support Ithaca College to ensure that necessary steps are taken.”
School updates:Ithaca school cancellations, closures and updates
There are 52 people under quarantine and being monitored, and 15 test results are pending.
“While this is the first case of COVID-19 in Tompkins County, we are prepared to respond to limit future exposures and community spread of the virus," Kruppa said. "We are looking to our community to take shared responsibility by practicing social distancing and helping each other during the weeks to come."
Tompkins County officials announced Friday all public schools in the county will be closed until at least April 12. A state of emergency has been declared in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
An emergency operations center has been set up so that officials can quickly make decisions when the need arises.
Tompkins County schools to close
Ithaca City School District superintendent Luvelle Brown said the school district will expand its summer meal drop-off and pickup locations for students during the crisis.
In Ithaca, meals are available for any student Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 10:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m. in the parking lots and bus loops at six locations:
- Beverly J. Martin Elementary School
- Caroline Elementary School
- DeWitt Middle School
- Enfield Elementary School
- Lehman Alternative Community School
- South Hill Elementary School
Those who do not have access to transportation or cannot leave their home can call 211 to arrange food delivery.
School officials said a "deep clean" of schools will be conducted before students return to the classrooms.
The seven school districts in Tompkins County are: Dryden, George Junior Republic (Freeville), Groton, Ithaca City, Lansing, Newfield and Trumansburg.
Cornell University will suspend classes for three weeks and told students to leave the Ithaca campus and return to their permanent homes as soon as they could. They are being asked to study remotely from their respective homes starting on April 6.
Tioga has positive case of COVID-19
Tioga County has its first positive case of COVID-19 and officials declared a state of emergency Saturday. All public schools in the county will close until mid-April.
County officials said there is only one known confirmed case, and staff is continuing to monitor the situation and determine individuals and places this individual might have had close contact with.
An 82-year-old New York City woman died after being infected with the novel coronavirus, the state's first death related to the virus at the center of a global pandemic. Cuomo said the state now has 524 positive cases.
Tioga County's school closure includes all extracurricular activities until April 14. Some schools could remain open for administrative staff and staff services.
“Continuing our collective efforts of ‘social-distancing’, we have directed schools in Tioga County to close” said Tioga County Legislative Chair and Public Health Director Lisa McCafferty. “School dismissal is an effective public health measure to prevent and slow the transmission of COVID-19.”
Broome County officials say there have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the county despite Gov. Andrew Cuomo's announcement Thursday that Broome had its first positive case.
The New York State Health Department confirmed a University at Albany student who tested positive is from Broome County.
Negative results for Cayuga resident
Health officials in Cayuga County announced last week one resident was being tested for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, and others are under quarantine.
The test results came back negative, officials reported Friday. There are currently zero cases of the coronavirus in Cayuga County.
The person recently returned from overseas and was under a precautionary quarantine and voluntarily reported it to the health department "in an effort to reduce risk of potential exposure and protect the health of the community."
The patient had recently traveled to a country with ongoing transmission of coronavirus.
Seven other Cayuga County residents are under quarantine, according to Kathleen Cuddy, Public Health Director for the county. They are not experiencing symptoms at this time.
The test was conducted in collaboration with the resident's primary care doctor, Auburn Community Hospital, and the health department.
Cayuga County: State of emergency
Despite the negative COVID-19 result and zero confirmed cases, officials declared a state of emergency in Cayuga County effective Saturday.
All classes and extracurricular activities at all public schools in the county will be closed until officials announce otherwise. Officials expect the closure to last through April 13.
The public schools in Cayuga County are:
- Auburn City School District
- Cato-Meridian Central School District
- Moravia Central School District
- Port Byron Central School District
- Southern Cayuga Central School District
- Union Springs Central School District
- Weedsport Central School District
Further information can be found at cayugacounty.us/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=270.
State of emergency for Seneca County
Officials in Seneca County declared a state of emergency Sunday, also closing all public schools beginning Wednesday.
Schools are expected to remain closed through April 14.
Seneca County's Public Health Director Vickie Swinehart said there are no confirmed cases in the county as of Sunday, but the 30-day state of emergency was put into place to further social distancing efforts.
The public schools in Seneca County include:
- Romulus Central School District
- Seneca Falls Central School District
- South Seneca Central School District
- Waterloo Central School District
More coronavirus updates from New York
Officials in Chemung County and Schuyler County declared states of emergency Saturday. Steuben County also said a state of emergency will go into effect Wednesday.
In Chemung, students will attend school Monday but will not return until April 14. The Odessa-Montour School District and Watkins Glen School District in Schuyler County will be closed Monday, reopen Tuesday so students can receive remote learning materials, and then close through April 13.
Steuben County officials directed schools to close March 18 through April 12.
Broome County declared a state of emergency Saturday, and County Executive Jason Garnar said all public schools will close until mid-April. There have been no confirmed COVID-19 cases in Broome County.
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