News Flash

Please see below for the May 15, 2020 COVID-19 Update for Schuyler County, NY. We did not receive notification of any new positive cases of COVID-19 today.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are the people who tested positive the only people in the County with COVID-19?

The table above only includes individuals who have been tested for COVID-19. There could be other people with COVID-19 in the community who haven’t been tested and have mild symptoms or no symptoms at all. That’s why it is important we all continue to wash our hands, practice social distancing, and take other protective actions.

Who should get tested for COVID-19?

You are encouraged to get tested for COVID-19 if you:

• Have symptoms of COVID-19. People with COVID-19 have reported a wide range of symptoms including fever, cough, shortness of breath or trouble breathing, chills or repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, and new loss of taste or smell.

• Came in close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 14 days.

Essential workers without symptoms can also get tested for COVID-19. An executive order outlined on 4/25/20 by Governor Cuomo expands the criteria for testing to include all first responders, health care workers, and essential employees even if they aren’t symptomatic.

How can residents get tested for COVID-19?

To get tested for COVID-19, call your healthcare provider for instructions or visit the Cayuga Health System sampling site in Ithaca. Learn more about the sampling site in Ithaca and register to attend by visiting cayugahealthsystem.org. If you have concerns about transportation to the sampling site in Ithaca, call Schuyler Hospital at 607-535-8602.

What happens when someone tests positive?

When someone tests positive, they are put in mandatory isolation until they are no longer considered at high risk of transmitting COVID-19 to others based on criteria set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH).Our office also conducts a contact investigation to identify people who may have been exposed to the virus by the person who tested positive.

What is a contact investigation or contact tracing?

For a contact investigation, which can also be called contact tracing, we work with the individual to determine where the person went and who they had contact with both while they had symptoms and during the 48 hours before their symptoms started, per CDC and NYSDOH guidance. People are considered at risk of getting COVID-19 if they are in the same household with someone with COVID-19, had direct physical contact with someone with COVID-19 or with their infectious secretions, or were within 6 feet of someone with COVID-19 for 10 minutes or more. Walking through the same public setting as someone who tested positive does not make someone a close contact. If someone who tested positive reports they were in a public setting and our investigation reveals high risk close contact occurred, we will inform the community and provide instructions on what community members should do if they were at the location.

How do I know if I have been identified as a close contact?

Any people identified as contacts of the person who tested positive will be contacted by the health department and put in quarantine at their home. They are released from quarantine once it has been 14 days since they were exposed to the person with COVID-19, unless they develop symptoms of COVID-19. Our staff conduct daily check-ins with both the individual who tested positive and their contacts to monitor their health and to check that the individuals are following the quarantine or isolation orders.

What does recovered mean?

A person is considered recovered once all three of the following happen:

1. It has been 7 or more days since their symptoms started
2. Their symptoms have improved significantly (some symptoms such as a slight cough may continue for awhile after they have recovered)
3. They have been fever-free for 3 days in a row without a fever-reducing medicine

Can you tell me more about antibody testing?

The COVID-19 diagnostic test checks for the presence of the virus at the time of sampling. Antibody testing is different – it checks to see if you have ever had the virus. Because this is a new virus, scientists are still figuring out:

1. If having the virus protects you from getting it again in the future (provides immunity) and
2. If having the virus does provide immunity, how long does that protection last

Antibody testing is not currently widely available in our County. However, you can call your healthcare provider if you feel you may need antibody testing.

Can you tell me more about plans to reopen the County?

Businesses in each region will re-open in phases. Re-opening refers to non-essential businesses and business activities. Essential businesses and business activities that are open will remain open. Eligibility for each phases reopening will be determined by health metrics measured for the whole the Southern Tier. To see the dashboard, visit: https://forward.ny.gov/regional-monitoring-dashboard.

Here is a breakdown of industries in each phase:

• Phase One: Starting May 15th
  • Construction
  • Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting
  • Retail - (Limited to curbside or in-store pickup or drop off)
  • Manufacturing
  • Wholesale Trade
• Phase Two: Not Open
  • Professional Services
  • Retail
  • Administrative Support
  • Real Estate / Rental & Leasing
• Phase Three: Not Open
  • Restaurants / Food Services
• Phase Four: Not Open
  • Arts / Entertainment / Recreation
  • Education

Learn more at: https://forward.ny.gov/industries-reopening-phase

Should I continue following protective actions once reopening starts?

Yes – this virus can spread quickly if we give it the chance. As things start to reopen, it will be vitally important that we all continue to:

• Wash our hands frequently
• Wear a cloth face covering when going out in public
• Clean and disinfect surfaces frequently
• Practice social distancing by staying at least 6 feet away from people not in your household

It is likely we will start to see more cases as reopening occurs. If we don’t take these precautions, we could see a sharp increase in the number of cases, jeopardizing our ability to move into the next phases of reopening.