Onondaga County calls for voluntary ‘shelter in place,’ shuts golf courses to fight coronavirus - syracuse.com

Syracuse, N.Y. — Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon is calling for a voluntary “shelter in place” for the next two weeks to fight the coronavirus.

The voluntary shelter in place order starts Tuesday. An order that would close most golf courses begins at 8 p.m. Monday and runs through April 27.

“Now we need more sacrifice,” he said. “We can only win if we’re doing this together."

McMahon admitted he can’t enforce it. It does not apply to essential workers. And you can still run errands to get food and medicine, if needed. But he’s asking people to go out every other day for medicines, groceries and other essentials in order to stem the spread of the virus. People can still go for walks in their neighborhoods, with their families and roommates, any day of the week.

Here’s how it will work:

• If you were born in an even year, such as 1970, then run errands on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
• If you were born in an odd year, such as 1971, then go out on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
• Sundays will alternate. On April 12 even years go out; on April 19, odd years go out.

The order runs from April 7 to April 21. McMahon said he didn’t know if there were other, similar voluntary requests in New York.

“This disease, this virus is a killer,” McMahon said. “It killed five of our neighbors.”

These next two weeks are critical, he said. This is when this community can dramatically stop more people from getting sick and overwhelming the hospital system, he said. In a big surge, Onondaga County could need 300 ventilators, McMahon said, adding the county doesn’t have that many.

That’s why he’s calling for people to stay separate and stay home. “We need the community’s buy-in,” he said. “We have an opportunity right now to flatten this curve.”

Without those measures, some models show we could be stuck in this pattern — with most businesses closed — into the summer.

He’s also closing all golf courses, except for those run by the state. “I don’t think there’s been a bigger complaint than golf courses,” McMahon said of people continuing to play. “People are going out playing with their buddies playing golf.” McMahon said New York officials support the decision. “The data is driving our decisions,” he said.

County parks remain open, he said. But officials are monitoring how close people are and how crowded the parks are, he said.

McMahon said he knows it’s tough. His parents and his wife’s parents live within a couple miles of him. But instead of seeing them, and celebrating Easter together, they can’t do it this year. He’s planning to celebrate with his wife and three children. “This thing could go on way too long if we don’t take it seriously,” he said. “I’m begging you to.”

Clarification: People can go for walks any day of the week, an Onondaga County spokesman said.

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2020-04-05 20:24:31Z
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