Coronavirus Update, July 23, 2020
The Tompkins County Health Department has released demographics on all recovered and active COVID-19 cases to date. According to the Ithaca Voice, people in their 20s make up nearly a third of the cases — larger than any other age range. People over the age of 60 make up 22 percent of the county’s cases.
Tompkins County Public Health Director Frank Kruppa notes that a majority of the positive cases have been in people who traveled outside of the county and came back with the virus.
There have been 206 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Tompkins, and 2 people are hospitalized for the virus. As of Wednesday, there are 35 active cases, the highest number since April.
In Schuyler County, there were no new cases of COVID-19 reported as of Thursday, according to their Health Department. There are 4 active cases, and 17 recoveries in the area.
Ithaca College is suspending all fall 2020 athletic competitions and reducing group size of regular practices. The Ithacan reports that the decision was announced yesterday in a Zoom conference call with IC student athletes and coaches. The Liberty League also announced that they are cancelling all events through December 31st, 2020. The League had previously planned to postpone the beginning of fall seasons until September 26th, but moved to cancel the season outright.
Ithaca College’s Football, Field Hockey, Volleyball, Women’s golf, along with Men’s and Women’s Cross Country, Crew and Sculling, Tennis and Soccer will all be impacted by the cancellations.
The college has yet to decide what will happen with winter seasons. Winter and Spring Athletes will be allowed to train in the fall, and all athletes who lost their seasons will be allowed to practice with their teams and also keep their eligibility. The Liberty League is looking at ways to let Fall sports play in the spring, but haven’t announced further plans for that yet.
Wineries across the State are having to adjust to Governor Cuomo’s new rules regarding alcohol service. According to WSKG News, establishments may only serve alcohol if they are accompanied by the purchase of a food item, and if the patrons are seated 6 feet apart.
Despite not having crowding issues, the new rules are requiring wineries to adjust quickly. Many have found creative solutions like including cheese and crackers in the price for a tasting, or selling snacks for a low price.
The latest rule adds another expense for wineries big and small, in addition to the expense of sanitizing tables, expanding outdoor seating areas, and hiring more staff to wait on and clean tables.
Funding may be reduced for the Excelsior Scholarship this year, which helps tens of thousands of students go to city and state colleges tuition-free.
According to the Albany Times-Union, a notice on the scholarship website says state revenues are low due to the pandemic. A spokesman for the state budget office notes that an absence of federal funding is also to blame.
The scholarship is eligible to students who take at least 30 credits per year and who are in households making less than $125,000 annually. The scholarship has been available since 2018, and has helped 30,000 students afford tuition.
Contributing writing by WRFI News Intern Jon Donville and News Volunteer Peter Champelli