CATSKILL – The Greene County Legislature is requesting visitors, weekenders, and second homeowners to avoid traveling into the county due to coronavirus.
Greene County currently has five confirmed cases of COVID-19 and is responding with measures to proactively reduce further exposure as it impacts limited resources.
County Legislature Chairman Patrick Linger said, “While you may be seeking refuge from the larger amount of cases downstate, you must be aware that this is a global pandemic. You and your family have a critical role to fulfill in halting the rapid spread of this potentially deadly virus, which can be dangerous and even fatal to the elderly and people with underlying health conditions.”
The novel coronavirus pandemic has impacted New York State, which is responding with all resources to contain a growing number of cases, which includes more than 15,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and multiple deaths.
Of Greene County’s confirmed cases, none originated from within the county.
The county advisory noted that the number of exposures will increase with movement into the area from other parts of the state and country, requiring a large amount of resources by public health, first responders, health care providers, and other government personnel to contain and limit further transmission.
Linger encouraged people to avoid entering Greene County. “Greene County is a large rural county with no hospital! There is no hospital in Greene County. This limits our ability to serve a large number of people requiring higher levels of care for COVID-19 patients and other illnesses. These facts mean any additional needs presented at our surrounding hospitals will tax our medical care system beyond its capacity. While the county’s emergency services and responders are currently operating at full capacity, it’s important we also don’t stretch their capacity.”
Linger stressed his message that “Travel into Greene County from any area at this time is inadvisable and is highly discouraged.”
For comprehensive information, coronavirus.health.ny.gov. For official Greene County information, visit our COVID-19 page.
