omicron

“The big change for New Yorkers is that if you test positive, you should no longer expect a call from your health department."

Given the spike in COVID-19 cases, county officials are advising residents to make sure they stay safe during holiday gatherings.

The governor gave updates on the current mask mandate, hospital capacity and testing, in the midst of a surge in COVID-19 cases across the state.

Tompkins County currently has more than 1,100 active COVID-19 cases. The vast majority of them, nearly 900, can be attributed to Cornell University students. But the county only has nine hospitalizations.

A total of 12 cases have been detected in New York state so far. Nineteen states across the U.S. have reported cases of Omicron.

"We knew the Omicron variant was coming and we expect to see more cases. But let me be clear: We are not defenseless."

Across the state about one in every seven positive COVID-19 tests is sent to a lab to be screened for variants. But some counties, like Tompkins, are able to screen nearly all of their tests.

“I’m not prepared to shut down schools or the economy at this time. That would be considered an overreaction.”