MONTICELLO - Due to the skyrocketing number of active Covid-19 cases tied to the Delta variant in recent weeks - and especially over the past week - County Manager Josh Potosek will soon implement a mask mandate for all County employees as well as members of the public who enter county-owned buildings.
Sources tell The SullivanTimes that the mandate will likely come in the form of an executive order that declares a state of emergency. Potosek is said to also be reviewing a "teleworking" policy to reduce workplace density and allow those quarantined to be able to work from home.
Earlier this week, The SullivanTimes was the first media outlet to report that the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) moved Sullivan from a county with "substantial" rate of transmission of the virus to "high" rate of transmission.
That triggered a public statement from Public Health Director Nancy McGraw, who warned about the seriousness of the recent spike in active cases, the number quarantined and those hospitalized.
“For everyone’s health and safety, it’s imperative that we continue to encourage family and friends to get vaccinated, " McGraw said. "Children less than 12 years of age are still vulnerable to this virus and are unable to get vaccinated at this time, as are others with various medical conditions.”
At of 7:15 pm Wednesday, there are 12 locals hospitalized with Covid-19, the most since the middle of April 2021.
The Sullivan County Legislature is scheduled to have a series of committee meetings that begin Thursday morning. Among them is a meeting of the Health & Family Services Committee chaired by Legislator Nadia Rajsz.
