With COVID Clusters Popping Up, Is Coronavirus Fatigue Setting In?
(Channel 8 WROC, Christian Garzone / October 21, 2020)
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Wednesday, the southeast section of Steuben County was declared a “yellow zone.”
Gov. Andrew Cuomo is concerned over “micro-clusters” that are popping up throughout the state. To tackle the spikes, there’s a color ranking: red, yellow and orange with red being the most severe.
“Steuben County has been about four percent for three weeks. And that is not good. And again, we’re going to try and drill down. But for right now, a part of the county is going to be in a yellow zone,” says Governor Cuomo.
The Steuben County Manager, Jack Wheeler, imposing new restrictions and asking all there to double down on COVID prevention efforts.
“It largely is the Corning area. So, it would be the City of Corning, Town of Corning, Town of Irwin, Portions of the Town of Addison, portions of the Town of Campbell, obviously, you have some villages mixed in there as well,” says Wheeler.
“The success of us getting out of the yellow zone is in the community’s hands. We can reduce our positivity rate with some of these new roll backs and restrictions, and we can get out of the yellow zone. But our success as a community and as a county really is in the hands of all of you, all of us who live within the county. We have to do better,” says Darlene Smith, the Steuben County Health Director.
With 86 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday, Monroe County Executive Adam Bello also asking those here to do the same.
“To wear our masks, stay socially distant and follow all the health guidelines,” says Bello.
And the COVID upticks, not just limited to Steuben and Monroe. Areas in Victor — Brent Knoll and Montgomery Lane — the Ontario County Health Department says are responsible for a mini cluster. They say residents there had sleepovers, clambakes and block parties sans precautions…
… Christopher Fox with RP Fedder Industrial has been instrumental in installing COVID air filters across the region. He says we’re not out of this yet and like leaders across the region, is urging caution when it comes to coronavirus.
“All the trends are, you see it in Europe, you see it in other states in the US, there’s a curve coming back,” says Fox.