HUDSON—As the early days of Phase One of reopening the Capital Region economy unfold and Phase Two approaches, the second meeting of Columbia Comeback was held the afternoon of May 26.
Columbia Comeback meeting replays can be accessed at https://columbiacomeback.com, according to the county-issued Covid-19 update press release for May 26.
Columbia Comeback, comprised of local government and business leaders, was established by Columbia County Board of Supervisors Chairman Matt Murell to serve as a resource to help businesses safely and successfully reopen in alignment with New York State’s guidelines.
Committee co-chairs are Jeff Hunt, President of the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce, and Columbia Economic Development Corporation President/CEO Michael Tucker. The next meeting is scheduled for Monday, June 8 at 1 p.m., also via the Columbia Comeback website.
Guidelines and templates relating to reopening plans can be found at https://columbiacomeback.com/resources/phase-one
Also, New York State has recently added a “Reopening Tool,” designed to let businesses know when they may reopen in a particular region. It can be accessed at https://www.businessexpress.ny.gov/app/nyforward
Today’s virus numbers
The Columbia County Department of Health (DOH) reports the coronavirus death toll for the county holding steady at 32 as May 26 at 3 p.m.
There have been 381 positive cases of Covid-19 with 145 active cases currently; 73 additional residents are on mandatory quarantine and 3 residents are on precautionary quarantine.
So far, 204 of the 381 total cases have recovered from the virus; 16 of the positive cases are hospitalized, 1 of those hospitalized is in the ICU. The DOH has categorized test results by antibody and PCR tests. The department has received a total of 3,775 PCR test results and are in the process of tallying antibody results that have been completed for Columbia County residents.
Financial donations
Columbia County has received new monetary donations toward the purchase of coronavirus testing kits, Chairman Murell said in the release. Prior donations from the public amounted to $32,275.
Since then, a total of $1,500 has been received: $500 from Camp Scatica in Elizaville and $1,000 from Dr. Michael and Mary Brabeck. “The outpouring of support from the community to assist the county in the fight against the coronavirus has been heartwarming—we thank everyone,” said the chairman.
Test clinics
Coronavirus testing clinics are set at the John L. Edwards Elementary School, 360 State Street, Hudson, Wednesday, May 27 and Tuesday, June 2, both from 10 a.m. to noon, and at the Columbia County Fairgrounds, 142 Hudson Avenue (Route 66), Chatham, Sunday, June 7, 10 to 1 p.m.
Sign-up instructions and further instructions regarding the clinics can be found on the Health Department’s webpage on the Columbia County website https://www.columbiacountynyhealth.com/ or by calling 518-828-3358.
Interpreting information and guidance
On the health, business, and personal front, the coronavirus pandemic presents a variety of challenges to all of us, sometimes on an hourly basis.
It is expressly the intent of the daily press releases from the county Board of Supervisors to pass along the latest and most relevant information that is gleaned from local officials, the federal government, the state government, and the Centers for Disease Control, to name a few. There is no intent to legislate in this forum, the press release said.
