Putnam Poll Worker Tests Positive For Coronavirus

PUTNAM COUNTY, NY — A poll worker who worked at the Putnam Valley High School on Election Day has tested positive for the coronavirus, Putnam County health officials reported Monday.

Across the county, there were 71 active cases as of Friday.

The poll worker was at PVHS from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Nov. 3.

"The positive individual had been following all safety measures including mask wearing, sanitizing and distancing, therefore the risk to voters present during this time is considered minimal," county officials said in the health alert, which remains in effect through Nov. 17.

If you visited that location on Election Day, watch for symptoms of COVID-19 which include fever, chills, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea.

Contact your physician with any concerns. Visit the county's website for testing information.

Health officials said the department is working with the Board of Elections to notify poll workers and other individuals who had sustained contact with the positive case. All proper cleaning and disinfection of the location was completed according to health and safety guidelines.

The test positivity rate continues to rise in Putnam County as around the whole Hudson region.

In a Monday briefing, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said 26 New Yorkers died of COVID-19 on Sunday. The statewide positivity rate outside the micro-clusters was 2.6 percent. "The election came and went, the virus remained," he said.

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