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COVID-19 Update: McMahon Says Use Tech To Connect Over Holiday Weekend To Keep Seniors Safe

Onondaga County Executive's Office
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Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon revealed the nature of some community spread cases at his daily briefing Tuesday. While COVID-19 cases in the beginning were associated with travel, now many more are caused by lack of social distancing.

Specifically, McMahon said, many people are visiting seniors and unknowingly spreading it to them. 

 

"It’s a holy weekend for various religions,” said McMahon. “We need to stay home. We need to use technology. We do not need to put Mom and Dad because we are getting families together.”

 

A sixth person died from the virus Tuesday. McMahon said it was a woman in her seventies with underlying health conditions. Positive cases rose too, increasing by 20 for 397 total positive cases in the county. The voluntary shelter-in-place has officially begun. McMahon said he hopes that this two week mandate, in combination with the closure of golf courses, will help Onondaga County fight COVID-19.

 

“When are we going to look at some of these numbers and realize that taking a couple days off of golf is not a big sacrifice, when we’ve had six people die, five people die in the last week?” said McMahon. “We have 15% of our cases in the hospital. I mean are you kidding me? Let’s put things in perspective as a community.” 

The number of requests for tests rose again after a few days of a decrease in demand. McMahon said they can’t make any conclusions about the trend at this point but continue to monitor data.

 

Katie Zilcosky is WAER’s All Things Considered host and features reporter. She also co-hosts WAER’s public affairs show Syracuse Speaks. As a reporter, she focuses on technology, economy, and identity.