Sullivan County Asks Visitors, Weekenders To Stay Away

LIBERTY, NY — Sullivan County has a message for weekenders, second homeowners and visitors: Stay away. In a message posted on the county's website, Sullivan County Public Health Director Nancy McGraw and County Manager Joshua Potosek said that the county has "multiple cases" of the new coronavirus and is responding as aggressively and proactively as its limited resources allow.

"While you may be seeking refuge from the larger amount of cases downstate, you must be aware that this is a global pandemic," they said in the joint statement. "You and your family have a critical hole 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 condition."

County officials said there were four confirmed case of the virus as of Thursday and that the number of potential exposures was increasing, requiring a great deal of public health resources and other government personnel to contain and limit further transmission.

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Potosek issued a state of emergency Friday before any cases were confirmed.

He said, effective Monday, that county government offices will be staffed as lightly as possible, some with only one employee, so as to minimize the chances of coronavirus exposure and transmission.

Sullivan County is similar to Putnam, Orange, Dutchess, Ulster and Columbia counties in that they are all within commuting and driving distance from New York City, making the region a popular area for warmer weather getaways and second homes.

McGraw and Potosek said "travel into Sullivan County from any area at this time is inadvisable and is highly discouraged."

But if people are going to travel to Sullivan County, they said they expected them to adhere to basic hygiene, including washing hands with soap and water for 20 seconds, coughing and sneezing into a tissue or your arm and not touching your face, and limiting social activities.

The county said that if a family member has a fever, persistent cough or shortness of breath, they should be isolated and should call their healthcare provider.

McGraw and Potosek specifically asked people to not travel from another county or geographic area, including the five boroughs of New York City, which is experiencing community transmission of the new coronavirus.

"Please don't have an expectation that resources will be available to you here that are not available to you in your home town. Sullivan County has a limited number of healthcare resources and testing capacity is also very limited," the county said.

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