The Peru Gazette

Governor Cuomo today announced new state guidance for agritourism businesses as New York State enters the Fall season. The businesses, which include corn mazes, pick-your-own fruit and vegetable operations, hayrides and haunted houses, are considered low-risk outdoor arts and entertainment and are permitted to operate under New York’s NY Forward guidance.

The businesses that can reopen are subject to Low-Risk Outdoor Arts and Entertainment and Public Transportation guidance. Guidance includes, but is not limited to:

Corn Mazes: permitted consistent with Low-Risk Outdoor Arts and Entertainment guidance and the following conditions:

Reduced capacity

Face coverings required

Social distance maintained between individuals/parties

Hayrides: permitted consistent with Public Transportation guidance and the following conditions:

Mandatory face coverings

Social distance required between individuals/parties

Frequently touched surfaces, such as handrails, cleaned and sanitized between rides

Pick-Your-Own Fruit/Vegetables Operations: permitted consistent with Low-Risk Outdoor Arts and Entertainment guidance and the following conditions:

Reduced capacity

Face coverings required

Social distance maintained between individuals/parties.

Haunted Houses: permitted consistent with Low-Risk Indoor Arts and Entertainment guidance and the following conditions:

Reduced capacity

Face coverings required

Social distance maintained between individuals/parties

Petting zoos are not permitted.

Q: Why does the number of active cases reported by CCHD fluctuate so much?

A: Active cases reflect the number of individuals currently infected with COVID-19. This number can fluctuate as individuals move to the recovered category and as new cases are added. Some labs are taking a particularly long time to report test results. This is not something that we have control over, but it can affect when cases are reported to you and how soon after you see individuals move to the recovered category.

Q: What does being “recovered” from COVID-19 mean?

A: The word “recovered” is used to describe someone who is no longer infectious, or able to pass the virus to another person. This also means that when a person is “recovered,” isolation can be discontinued. A person who is recovered may still experience ongoing effects from the virus.

For full details on when a person is considered “recovered,” or when isolation can be discontinued, visit https://bit.ly/32nBUXM.

Q: Why did the “probable” case count decrease?

A: There are multiple criteria that may place an individual in the probable category. For the probable case definition used by NYS, visit https://bit.ly/3en5n7o. Some examples of criteria that may place an individual in the probable category can include an indeterminate test result or antibody test results. If a person is found to have antibodies, they may also already be considered “recovered.” If a person receives indeterminate test results, they may be retested and subsequently test positive or negative. A person in the probable category may remain in the probable category, may be moved to the confirmed case category, or may be removed from numbers if they are determined to not be a COVID-19 case, all based on epidemiology criteria. Note that this is not a category that CCHD developed. A case definition is a set of uniform criteria used to define a disease for public health surveillance. These enable public health officials to classify and count cases consistently across reporting jurisdictions.

We understand that numbers and data related to COVID-19 can be confusing. Please know the health and safety of Clinton County residents is CCHD’s number one priority at all times. All information shared is done so with the intent of keeping the public informed and safe. While we do provide case count updates daily (Monday-Friday) overall trends provide more insight into how we as a community are doing, as opposed to one set of numbers on any given day. Overall, we are doing well as a community in keeping case counts low. However, as recent outbreaks in other communities have shown us, the risk for infection to spread quickly persists.

COVID-19 is still present in our community. Now is not the time to relax. Avoid large gatherings, keep a physical distance of at least 6 feet from those outside your household, wear a mask, and wash your hands frequently. Continuing to work together is how Clinton County can help stop the spread.