Broome County Executive Jason Garnar and Broome County Health Department Director Rebecca Kaufman announced today that county officials have learned of a positive test result for Coronavirus (COVID-19) within Broome County. The test results were confirmed today (March 17, 2020).
The confirmed case is a patient from an outlying county who is being treated in a Broome County hospital. The local health departments are getting in touch with who may have been in contact. No additional information is being released at this time due to patient privacy laws.
In response to this case and continuing recommendations from the state and federal governments, County Executive Jason Garnar has signed an emergency order to help prevent the spread of this disease. In that order, the County Executive is strongly recommending residents stay home. The order prohibits unnecessary travel, advises to avoid group gatherings and to avoid contact with other people.
Additionally, following Governor Cuomo’s directive, Broome County is reducing county employees working in county facilities by 50% by implementing work from home protocols for many employees starting tomorrow, Wednesday, March 18.
A number of County facilities are now closed to the public:
• Broome County Office of Employment and Training
• Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena
• Broome County Forum
• Broome County Clerk’s Office
• Broome County Public Library
• Senior Centers
DMVs will remain open — limiting capacity to 10 customers at a time. Additionally, Lourdes and United Health Services are working together to implement visitation protocols and testing criteria.
