Coronavirus Update, September 4, 2020
An employee of The Boatyard Grill in Ithaca has tested positive for COVID 19, the Ithaca Times reports.
According to the Tompkins County Health Department, the employee may have exposed restaurant patrons to the virus on Friday, August 28th, Saturday, August 29th and Sunday August 30, between the hours of 4pm and 11pm. The Tompkins County Health Department says that this case is not related to other recently reported positive cases.
People who were in close contact with the employee at these times are being asked to get tested for COVID-19, and quarantine themselves for 14 days. The health department recommends that people get tested at the Testing Site at the Shops at Ithaca Mall.
More information on getting a COVID test can be found at tompkinscountyny.gov/health.
Looking at the local COVID-19 caseload, the latest numbers, released Thursday from the Tompkins County health department, indicate that there are 5 additional positives. According to the County Health Department, that leaves 61 active cases of COVID-19 in Tompkins.
In Schuyler County, there are no new cases of COVID-19 reported as of Friday, according to their Health Department. 1 active case remains.
Cornell University’s first day of surveillance testing on Thursday was marked by long lines and problems with scheduling.
Part of the issue was that some students had trouble with scheduling tests. The Cornell Daily Sun reports that the daily check team sent a message at 11 am yesterday saying there was an error with the system. The daily check is software used to monitor daily symptoms, assess the risk factor survey and schedule testing. Some students reported having their appointment rescheduled multiple times in the day.
In certain locations on campus, students scheduled for testing reported long lines and wait times of 40 minutes to an hour. Other testing locations only had a 15 minute wait time.
Cornell Vice Provost for Academic Integration, Gary Koretzky wrote in an email to the Sun that many of the delays in testing resulted from the over 5,000 students on the first day of surveillance testing. He added that the schools recognizes that there are some “growing pains” with the process and are “working to increase efficiency.”
In more news from Ithaca’s East Hill - some enrolled students who were told that they would be receiving financial aid packages in August have not yet received the aid.
Many students told the Cornell Daily Sun that even though they’re supposed to make their first tuition payment next week, they haven’t gotten an explanation from the administration as to when their financial aid will arrive.
After the Sun made attempts to speak with Financial Aid office officials, Cornell Media relations referred reporters to a “Financial Matters Frequently Asked Questions” list that the school made available to students.
The reported delays in financial aid are not normal. In previous years, Cornell has informed applicants of their offers during the semester preceding the fall.
In other local COVID-19 pandemic news, on Thursday Ithaca College announced the launch of its own COVID dashboard.
The Ithaca Voice reports that the IC dashboard reveals that nearly 2,000 tests have been administered on campus since August 14. Since that date, there have reportedly been zero positive tests.
IC reports that 425 faculty, nearly 775 staff, and almost 40 on-campus student and 700 off-campus student tests have been administered. Currently, IC has put aside about 150 rooms on campus for the purpose of quarantine and isolation. None of those rooms are occupied at this point in time.
Contributing writing by WRFI News Volunteer Ed von Aderkas and Esther Racoosin