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June 8

Schools in Onondaga County will likely be able to hold graduations in the fourth phase of the reopening process, County Executive Ryan McMahon said at a media briefing Monday. The county is on track to enter the third phase June 12.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has announced that limited graduations can take place in New York state starting at the end of June. McMahon expects that schools will be able to hold traditional ceremonies in outdoor venues with social distancing measures in place.

Recent protests in the city of Syracuse have not negatively impacted the county’s COVID-19 data so far, he said. 

“We can’t pretend that there haven’t been large gatherings in our community,” McMahon said

June 5

Onondaga County is on track to enter phase three of the reopening process on June 12, McMahon said at a press briefing Friday. The county’s COVID-19 hospitalization rate is low enough to reopen more businesses in a week, he said. 

“We’re in a good spot right now. We still need to be diligent. We still need to do the smart thing,” he said. “As we’re moving towards phase three, there’s nothing holding us back right now.” 

June 3

Onondaga County received a “sobering” sales tax payment Wednesday, McMahon said at a media briefing. The payment was $9 million less than last year’s.

McMahon expects the county’s sales tax revenue to continue trending downward, he said. Onondaga County has lost several million dollars due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The county will have to make tough decisions regarding spending as revenue decreases, McMahon said. 

Onondaga County also received approval from the state to open up outdoor seating at restaurants. McMahon hopes that outdoor seating will provide a much-needed boost to local restaurants. Guidance for restaurants that choose to open outdoor seating will be available soon, he said. 

June 2

McMahon expects New York state to approve a plan to discharge nursing home residents who have recovered from the coronavirus, he said at a press conference Tuesday.

The plan would allow discharged residents to relocate to different sites where they wouldn’t be counted in local hospitalization numbers. 

Discharging residents would reduce the number of hospitalized patients in Onondaga County by more than 40, McMahon said. Local hospitals remain in good shape and have not been overwhelmed, he said. 

May 29

Onondaga County began phase two of the reopening process Friday, allowing offices, retail stores and hair salons to reopen, McMahon said at a press briefing. 

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Friday that central New York and four other regions can enter phase two after experts reviewed the regions’ COVID-19 data, McMahon said. The announcement came after Cuomo said Thursday evening that regions could not enter phase two on Friday without additional health guidance. 

The state gave no indications that the county couldn’t enter the next phase until yesterday, McMahon said. Cuomo made the right decision to let regions enter phase two, he said.

McMahon said he’ll push for retail stores at Destiny USA to reopen during the second phase. New York state announced today that malls will remain closed, which McMahon said is unfair to retail stores.

May 28

Central New York will not enter the second phase of reopening on Friday, contrary to regional leaders’ expectations. 

Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s aides informed local leaders Thursday evening that all regions in the state cannot enter the second phase of reopening until experts review the state’s data from phase one, Syracuse.com reported. McMahon had previously expressed plans to enter the second phase of reopening on Friday.

The governor closed nonessential businesses across New York state in March to curb the spread of coronavirus, allowing central New York to begin a phased reopening of the shuttered businesses on May 15. Aside from New York City, every region in New York state has entered the first phase of reopening. 

The second phase of the reopening would have seen hair salons, offices and retail stores resume operations. McMahon also said he would like religious buildings to reopen at 25% capacity during the second phase.

Cuomo first cast doubt on central New York entering the second phase during a radio interview with station WAMC Thursday afternoon. A group of international experts will need to evaluate data collected during the first phase of the reopening before any regions move into the second phase, he said during the interview.

May 27:

Onondaga County will employ more contact tracers by Friday to account for an increase in social interaction as the county enters the second phase of reopening, McMahon said.

The county will transition into the second phase on Friday, two weeks after it first began reopening nonessential businesses with approval from Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Additional guidance on the second phase of the county’s reopening will be available by tomorrow, McMahon said at a media briefing. He’d like to open religious buildings at 25% capacity and allow outdoor seating at restaurants during this phase, he said.

May 22

Onondaga County is on track to enter the second phase of the reopening process on May 29, McMahon said at a press conference. 

Businesses that will reopen next Friday include hair salons and retail stores in Destiny USA, McMahon said. Central New York began phase one of reopening on May 15, allowing certain nonessential businesses to resume operations under health and safety guidelines. 

The rate of new COVID-19 hospitalizations in Onondaga County is lower than before the county entered phase one, McMahon said. The county has not reported any deaths from COVID-19 since yesterday, he said.

May 21:

Over 500 businesses in Onondaga County had registered to reopen as of Thursday, McMahon said in a press briefing. 

Central New York entered the first phase of New York state’s reopening process on May 15, allowing certain businesses to resume operations under safety guidelines. If any individual believes a county business shouldn’t open in the first phase, they can file a complaint on the Onondaga County Office of Economic Development’s website, McMahon said.

May 20

New York state will likely allow private colleges and universities to resume in-person classes in the fourth phase of the reopening process, McMahon said at a media briefing.

McMahon expects the county to enter fourth phase of the reopening well before the academic year begins. Private institutions like Syracuse University and Le Moyne College should release statements about their fall reopening plans soon, prior to enrollment, he said.

Hours after McMahon’s briefing, SU announced it would bring students back to campus in the fall on an advanced schedule, with classes ending before Thanksgiving.

“The online college experience probably isn’t worth as much as the physical college experience,” McMahon said.

Syracuse’s Rosamond Gifford Zoo will open Saturday morning, McMahon said. Individuals who wish to go to the zoo must make reservations online beginning Friday morning, he said. No more than 500 tickets to the zoo will be sold per day and reservations will be in 30-minute increments.

Public libraries in Onondaga County will also begin a phased reopening on May 26, McMahon said. Individuals can make reservations online or over the phone for a 30-minute pickup slot.

May 19

Onondaga County this weekend will open beaches at Oneida Shores, a county park in Cicero, McMahon said at a press briefing Tuesday. 

The county will limit the number of people allowed on the beach and mark off specific areas for families, McMahon said. Park staff will provide guidance to visitors about going into the water and restricted areas, he said. 

McMahon said the county is also planning to reopen Syracuse’s Rosamond Gifford Zoo. Onondaga County will provide more details regarding the zoo’s reopening on Wednesday. 

May 15

Onondaga County began the first phase of reopening nonessential businesses Friday, McMahon said at a press briefing. 

Gov. Andrew Cuomo began lifting his coronavirus emergency order this week for regions that meet certain criteria, including central New York. Construction, manufacturing and retail businesses in the region were able to resume operations starting Friday.

Hair and nail salons will resume operations during the second phase of the reopening, which is slated to begin May 29, McMahon said. The reopening will include a total of four phases.

Onondaga County businesses must agree to safety guidelines prior to reopening. McMahon said he will pass an executive order giving county officials the ability to fine businesses that do not comply with these guidelines. 

 McMahon confirmed six deaths from COVID-19 on Friday, all of which occurred in nursing homes. 

“Even though we’re losing members of our community, that’s not reflective of our ability to fight the virus in real time,” he said.

May 14:

Central New York will begin a phased reopening of nonessential businesses on Friday, McMahon said Thursday. 

Regions in New York state can begin a phased reopening after meeting certain criteria outlined in Cuomo’s extended COVID-19 emergency order. The governor announced Thursday that central New York — which initially fell short of the state’s testing requirement — had met the criteria to begin the reopening process.

The first phase of the reopening will allow construction, manufacturing and retail businesses to resume operations, McMahon said. Each business must read and agree to specific guidelines before reopening, he said. 

Local businesses must also write a consumer and employee safety plan using a template on the state’s website, McMahon said. 

May 13

Onondaga County has met New York state’s criteria to begin reopening nonessential businesses on Friday, McMahon said at a media briefing Wednesday. 

Under Cuomo’s extended COVID-19 emergency order, nonessential businesses can reopen starting Friday in regions that meet certain criteria. While some regions in upstate New York fulfilled all seven of the state’s criteria, central New York fell short on the testing requirement.

The state testing criteria requires counties to administer an average of 775 tests per day. Though central New York  has not officially met the state’s requirement, Onondaga County has a seven-day average of 845 tests administered per day, McMahon said. The county tested over 1,000 individuals on Monday and over 2,000 on Tuesday, he said.

State officials will evaluate the county’s testing data tomorrow and will provide guidance on beginning a reopening, he said. 

“The data speaks for itself,” McMahon said.

County officials will begin developing regulations for reopened businesses, McMahon said. Businesses should be prepared to sanitize workspaces and provide masks for both employees and customers, he said.

Reopened businesses may face fines for not following the county’s guidelines, he said.

“Nobody has ever had to do this before,” he said. “It’s an emotional victory for the community.”

May 12

Onondaga County will be “strongly positioned” to meet New York state requirements for reopening nonessential businesses after significant increases in COVID-19 testing, McMahon said Tuesday.

Cuomo has extended an order to close all nonessential businesses in New York state to curb the spread of COVID-19 until June 6. Under Cuomo’s order, regions that meet certain criteria can begin reopening on Friday. 

The governor announced Monday that central New York had met six out of seven criteria to begin reopening nonessential businesses, but the region fell short on testing. McMahon said at a media briefing today he is confident the region will meet all seven criteria given the new testing protocols. 

The county is still working to coordinate a phased reopening of nonessential businesses, McMahon said. It’s not clear which businesses will reopen in the first phase, and with what safety regulations, he said. 

“We’re going to have to put the airplane together in the air on this one,” McMahon said.

May 11

Onondaga County will begin offering COVID-19 testing to all residents at the Syracuse Community Health Center, McMahon said Monday.

Individuals can get tested at the health center even if they are not symptomatic, McMahon said at a media briefing. A mobile testing unit will also be in the parking lot at 307 Gifford Street on Thursday and Friday. 

Central New York continues to work with state officials to create an economic restart plan, McMahon said. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced earlier today the region had met six out of seven criteria to begin reopening nonessential businesses. 

The county must show it has expanded its testing capabilities to begin reopening, McMahon said.  

The first phase of the reopening will include opening retail businesses that can operate with curbside pickup, McMahon said. The phase will also lift some restrictions on industries that have continued to operate during the shutdown, he said.

Onondaga County confirmed six deaths related to the coronavirus on Monday. Of the six victims, four died in hospitals and two were in senior living facilities, McMahon said.

May 9

Onondaga County has met all of the guidelines New York state put forward to begin reopening nonessential businesses, McMahon said during a media briefing Saturday.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has extended an order closing nonessential businesses in New York state until June 6, with the exception of regions that meet certain criteria. McMahon assured residents that the county is ready to start a phased reopening of its economy.

“We are poised for a restart May 15th,” McMahon said.

Cuomo has the final say regarding when Onondaga County may begin reopening businesses, McMahon said. The county is awaiting additional state guidelines about safety procedures for reopened businesses.

The county confirmed four COVID-19 deaths on Saturday. Three of the victims were in the hospital, while the fourth individual was in a nursing home, McMahon said.

There are currently 52 individuals hospitalized with COVID-19 in the county, a 20% drop in the past 24 hours, McMahon said. 

May 8

Onondaga County on Friday confirmed 19 deaths from COVID-19 that are connected to local senior living facilities. The county waited for New York state to confirm the deaths occurred in the area.

The county also confirmed five additional COVID-19 deaths on Friday, raising the total number of deaths to 65, McMahon said at a media briefing. Three of the five individuals were hospitalized, and two lived in nursing homes, McMahon said. 

“Let’s remember everybody we’ve lost in this process,” he said. “Not just to COVID-19, but everybody we’ve lost in the community where their families have been unable to grieve together.”

McMahon said 300 county employees will take part in training this week through Johns Hopkins University to become COVID-19 contact tracers. The plan will help fulfill New York state’s requirements for reopening nonessential businesses in Onondaga County, he said.

“That 300 number not just satisfies Onondaga County’s goal for restart, but the whole region’s goal,” he said. 

May 7

Onondaga County suspects that 19 deaths from coronavirus have gone unreported in the area, McMahon said at a media briefing Thursday. The 19 deaths are related to COVID-19 cases that originated in senior living facilities, he said.  

The 19 additional deaths would bring the total number of deaths from COVID-19 in the county to 60. McMahon said he’s still waiting for clarification from New York state that the deaths occurred in Onondaga County, but he’ll know for certain by tomorrow. 

“The only thing I know is that they are our neighbors and I am very sad about this,” he said. 

The county has finalized a proactive testing strategy for nursing home employees, McMahon said. The county will test employees on a rotating basis each month. 

Nursing homes are also working to ensure that new residents are tested for COVID-19 before they move in, McMahon said.

May 6

Onondaga County plans to send mobile testing units into neighborhoods to track the spread of the coronavirus, McMahon said Wednesday.

The county has increased proactive testing to meet state requirements for reopening the economy, McMahon said at a media briefing. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has closed nonessential businesses in New York state until May 15, at which point he plans to reopen the economy in phases. Counties are required to conduct 14,000 tests per month to reopen.

Onondaga County will need to open more labs to process the influx of tests, McMahon said.

“It’s not about the positive numbers anymore. It’s about finding the virus in hidden pockets and isolating it,” McMahon said. “If we wanted our numbers to go down we would have only tested symptomatic individuals.”

The county confirmed one death from COVID-19-related death on Wednesday, bringing its total to 41. The patient was a woman in her 60s with significant underlying medical conditions, McMahon said. 

Libraries in Onondaga County will open on May 26 for curbside pickup, McMahon said.

May 5

Onondaga County confirmed three deaths from the COVID-19 on Tuesday. The death toll in the county now stands at 40.  The victims were all men, one in his 90s, one in his 80s and one in his 60s, McMahon said at a media briefing.

The number of people in the county hospitalized due to the virus dropped by four after increasing by 10 on Monday. Some of the people hospitalized Monday came from nursing homes and showed mild or no symptoms, McMahon said. 

Of the 1,115 cases of the virus in Onondaga County, 66% originated in senior living centers or from household contacts of previously infected people, McMahon said. Few people are contracting the virus through community spread, he said. 

“These aren’t crazy numbers with community spread,” he said. “Those numbers don’t scare us.”

The county also confirmed COVID-19 cases in customers and employees of three local businesses: a Rite Aid in Syracuse, a Dollar Tree in DeWitt and a Target in Fayetteville. 

The county is working with New York state to clarify guidelines for reopening auto dealerships, McMahon said. Car sales, which are a top contributor to sales tax for the county, will be allowed by appointment only, he said. 

“We have to find balance with our economic interests and public health,” McMahon said. “We’ll continue to find that balance, but part of that is moving forward, loosening up regulations that make sense.”

May 4

Onondaga County confirmed one death from COVID-19 on Monday, bringing the total number of deaths in the county to 37. The patient was a man in his 80s with significant underlying medical conditions, McMahon said at a press briefing.  

There are currently 51 patients in Onondaga County hospitalized from COVID-19, and 11 are in critical condition, McMahon said. The rise in hospitalizations is due to the county’s testing efforts in senior living communities, where individuals who test positive can be immediately sent to the hospital regardless of symptoms, he said. 

“This is a moment in time, not a trend,” McMahon said. “The only reason our cases have gone up in Onondaga County is because we’ve been proactively testing.”

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has closed all nonessential businesses in New York state until May 15, at which point he plans to begin a phased reopening of the economy. McMahon hopes to start phase one of the reopening in Onondaga County on May 15, expecting the phase to last two weeks.

Public libraries in the county will open in phases, starting with curbside checkout, McMahon said. The second phase will include special hours dedicated to seniors and individuals with underlying medical conditions, he said. 

May 3

Onondaga County confirmed two deaths from COVID-19 on Sunday, bringing the total number of deaths in the county to 36. The patients were a woman in her 60s and a man in his 90s, McMahon said at a media briefing.  

The county also confirmed 53 cases of COVID-19, the highest number of cases the county has confirmed in a single day since the outbreak began. McMahon urged residents to continue to protect themselves and their families from infection.

Despite the increase in cases, Onondaga County is still working with state officials to plan a reopening of some nonessential businesses, McMahon said.

“We are well-positioned for a restart,” he said. 

An individual who shopped at the Walmart in Syracuse has tested positive for COVID-19, McMahon said. A passenger traveling on Greyhound bus 0206, which stopped in Syracuse on April 27, has also tested positive, he said.

May 1

McMahon confirmed one death related to COVID-19 on Friday. The patient was a man in his late 50s with significant underlying medical conditions, he said. 

The county’s criteria for considering a senior citizen infected with COVID-19 to have recovered has changed, McMahon said. Under the previous criteria, the patient needed to go one week without symptoms and three days without a fever. Now, seniors must be symptom-free for two weeks before being removed from the active case count, McMahon said.

“They can respond from COVID-19 but their immune system is weak and then get sick with something else,” McMahon said. 

An employee working at Walmart in East Syracuse has tested positive for COVID-19, McMahon said. The employee also rode the Centro bus on routes 216, 120, 123 and 116. 

McMahon said he supports Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s decision to close schools for the remainder of the year. He will work with local school districts to find a proper way to celebrate the accomplishments of the high school seniors, he said.

McMahon also commented on the protesters outside of City Hall earlier today. 

“None of them have to come out here and talk about how we just lost another person to COVID-19,” he said. “I’ve gotten very thick skin through this process.”

April 30

Onondaga County confirmed 3 deaths related to COVID-19 on Thursday, raising the total number of deaths in the county to 33. The patients were all women, two in their 80s and one in her 60s, McMahon said at a media briefing. 

“The reality is that when this virus gets into pockets of our community with folks with underlying medical conditions, no matter what their age, or folks who are frail and elderly, it’s brutal,” McMahon said.

An employee working at Cricket Wireless on Erie Boulevard has tested positive for the virus, McMahon said. A customer who shopped at Price Chopper on April 25 has also tested positive, he said. 

Published on June 8, 2020 at 10:05 pm

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