Putnam Pushes State for COVID Zip Code Breakdown
Putnam County is working with the state to get information to residents, businesses, and schools that might be impacted by Governor Andrew Cuomo’s COVID-19 micro-cluster designations.
The New York State Department of Health uses a variety of metrics to determine when an area will be designated a micro-cluster. Two of these metrics are readily available for residents to view: the positivity rate based on a seven-day rolling average, and the number of cases per 100,000 people.
“The majority of our residents continue to make responsible choices that keep their community safe. However, we do rely on the state data to keep people informed– which is why we continue to push for the state to provide us with a town or zip code breakdown of their metrics,” said Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell. “The governor’s mention of Brewster ‘nearing yellow zone designation’ confirms that our request to view Putnam County on a hyper-local level is a necessity.”
The Village of Brewster and its growing case numbers were mentioned by the Governor in his press briefing on November 23.
Health Commissioner Michael Nesheiwat, MD advised, “We continue to encourage all residents of our county to adhere to the recommendations that helped us flatten the curve earlier this year. Putnam County has seen a sharp rise in positive cases related to social gatherings and parties. The spike that is occurring locally is a result of our actions. Whether you are in closer proximity to Brewster, or you are further west, nearer to Peekskill, it is clear that our numbers are rising, and we all must make responsible choices to keep our families and our neighbors safe.”
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/