Officials suggest it’s time to wear masks inside
A year and a half after the COVID-19 pandemic began, local, state and national officials are once again asking Americans — even those who are vaccinated against the virus– to wear a mask when indoors among other people.
Orange County is among the New York counties which has been designated as having ‘substantial transmission’ of COVID-19, particularly of the ‘Delta Variant’ which is causing another surge of illness nationwide.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said this week that more than half of New York’s counties should recommend mask wearing indoors for all people as they look to slow the spread of the Delta variant.
While Governor Andrew Cuomo hasn’t instituted any mask mandates, he has urged municipalities and schools to consider vaccination mandates or weekly tests for their workforce.
There is no word yet from the State Education Department on whether school students will need to wear masks when they return to the classrooms in September.
According to www.ny.gov, 62.8 percent of Cornwall residents have at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while 50.6 percent of Highland Falls residents do and 46.2 percent of Fort Montgomery residents do. West Point’s vaccination rate is 6.6 percent, but that does not include any vaccinations delivered by the Department of Defense. (All of these numbers, the website says, are provided by the CDC, as of August 3.)
On the Orange County website on Tuesday, the vaccine tracker noted that Highlands has had an overall case number of 1470 infections, and currently has 15 active. Cornwall has had 933 cases, with no active.
If you are looking for a COVID-19 vaccine, visit: www.covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov/vaccination-rates-zip-code.
There is a vaccination event in Newburgh next week, hosted by the Orange County Health Department. It’s on August 18, at 130 Broadway, Newburgh. Call 845-291-2330 to make an appointment. Pharmacies and some doctors offices can also provide COVID-19 vaccinations.
