Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon confirmed 13 additional cases of the novel coronavirus on Monday, raising the county’s total number of reported cases to 377.

The novel coronavirus causes COVID-19, a respiratory disease that has infected over 1.3 million people and killed at least 74,807 worldwide. New York state has confirmed 130,815 cases of the virus and 4,758 people have died.

McMahon on Sunday confirmed the county’s fifth death from the virus. Of the 377 positive cases in the county, 137 have been reported in the city of Syracuse.

“We’re starting to see some data this week that shows a little bit of hope,” McMahon said during a press briefing. “(But) the cases we have seen of recent demonstrate behavior that was avoidable. The data shows our social distancing getting worse.”

Onondaga County also implemented a voluntary shelter-in-place program on Sunday to improve social distancing compliance. The county asks that individuals only use nonessential services or parks three days of the week starting Tuesday until April 21. Those days are assigned based on whether an individual is born on an odd number or even number year.

The county has created an online, expedited platform for recovering COVID-19 patients to input information regarding their health status, McMahon said at the briefing. This process is password-protected to ensure patients’ privacy, he said.

Two Walgreens employees, one from a branch on the 4001 S. Salina St. and another on 4751 Onondaga Blvd., have tested positive for COVID-19, McMahon said. Anyone who visited either of those Walgreens last week should watch for symptoms of the virus, he said.

Onondaga County closed all golf courses for the next two weeks starting Monday at 8 p.m., with the exception of statewide courses. McMahon said he’s aware people may go to other counties to use courses there. He cannot control whether nearby counties decide to keep their courses open, he said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has now recommended everyone who is going out in public to wear a mask, McMahon said. The county also reviews parks on a daily basis to assure people are obeying social distancing measures, and will make “tough decisions” if the measures are not followed, McMahon said.

“Nobody is trying to spread COVID-19,” McMahon said. “The reality of this virus is it’s lethal, active and aggressive.”

Published on April 7, 2020 at 12:05 am

Contact Sarah: scalessa@syr.edu | @sarahalessan