ALBANY — The National Guard will begin delivering food to those in quarantine beginning Tuesday, March 31.
Nearly 20,000 pounds of food is being brought to the Times Union Center from the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York and is being sorted for distribution said Albany County Executive Dan McCoy during his daily press briefing on Monday.
As of Monday, there were 199 cases of COVID-19 in Albany County, up 12 from Sunday, with 559 under mandatory quarantine and another 223 under precautionary quarantine. There are 15 hospitalized with seven adults in the ICU.
Dr. Elizabeth Whalen, head of the Albany County Health Department, said there is a shortage of tests across the country so there has not been any widespread community testing for the virus. Instead, tests are limited to those who are admitted to the hospital with symptoms of the virus — fever, cough and shortness of breath — and those health care workers who have come in contact with the patient.
“New York City is still doing widespread testing so we are getting an idea of what the timeline looks like and they are talking about the apex in a couple weeks,” she said. “I don’t think people understand that we have not yet reached the apex yet and where we could be in the coming weeks. It is of utmost importance for people avoid contact with other people especially if you are in a vulnerable group, over 60 or if you have other health issues.
“This is the foreseeable future for county residents.”
Also, McCoy said, the county Industrial Development Agency is exploring ways to provide small businesses that have been hit hard by shutdowns with grant and loans to help keep them afloat.
