The first day of Phase One in Onondaga County was a bittersweet one. County Executive Ryan McMahon reported 6 deaths in the community’s nursing homes. There is not much detail about who the victims were or where they died. The numbers are taken directly from state data.
McMahon said it’s hard to lose members of the community, but it’s not reflective of the area’s ability to fight the virus.
“The spread and infection rates have been very low,” said McMahon. “And we continue to have the infrastructure at our hospitals and within our own health department to do what’s necessary to treat the sick and to test and trace and isolate and quarantine.”
The Onondaga County COVID-19 death toll is now 90. While it was a deadlier day for the county during the pandemic, the community spread average is still stable, and some businesses are starting to reopen. The economic restart has come with a lot of questions including rules around large gatherings and playdates for children. McMahon said large gatherings are still forbidden, but playdates are a judgement call.
“You know what’s best for your children, and certainly we have faith in you,” said McMahon. “You’ve done a nice job keeping your kids safe. But it’s very, very hard for kids to be six feet apart from everybody. And as we continue to make progress, eventually that will change and we’ll be able to loosen things up a bit.”
McMahon said the county is also assessing the ability to open its beaches, but won’t do it unless it can be safe. Again, the County Executive emphasized the continued need for physical distancing and masks in order to progress to more reopenings. The earliest Phase Two could begin is May 29th.
