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SIT DOWN? PASSÉ! DINERS PREFERENCE TODAY? TAKEOUT/A3
HOMETOWN E!
E FR Volume 12, No. 25
ONEONTA
& The Otsego-Delaware Dispatch
Oneonta, N.Y., Thursday, March 26, 2020
Visit www.
AllOTSEGO.com
â–şFIRST OTSEGO COUNTY CORONAVIRUS CASE SURFACES/SEE BELOW
City of The Hills
Coronavirus Halts Dreams Park 2020 EMERGENCY FALLOUT Michealle Cole, a second grade teacher at CCS, shared this photo, of the 36 face masks she made to take to Bassett Hospital, on her Facebook page. The hospital anticipates needing 20,000 masks; a pattern is avaliable on its website/SEE A3
SEE MULTIPLE REPORTS ON
AllOTSEGO.com
Jobless Claims Soar; Sales-Tax Slump Expected By LIBBY CUDMORE ONEONTA
I
n an average week, Alan Sessions, CDO Workforce disability resource coordinator, might field 25 calls about â–şThe fenimore, farmers’ unemployment museums have delayed their insurance. April 1 opening day indefinitely, “In the last week, Todd Kenyon, communications we’ve received 25 direction, announced. calls a day,â€? he said. â–şBe Prepared, county board “Sometimes the wait Chair David Bliss urged in an open letter. He asked that to talk with someone those who could, stay home to is an hour.â€? help “flatten the curveâ€? The majority Ruffles â–şDMV closed until April 19, of the calls, he but there will be an extensaid, are waitstaff, sion of validity of any driver’s kitchen help and retail workers sudlicense, non-driver Identificadenly jobless as Governor Cuomo tion or registration expiring on ordered stores and restaurants closed or after March 1, 2020, County in to facilitate “social distancingâ€? Clerk Kathy Sinnot Gardner and reduce the spread of COVID-19. announced. “It’s early still, but these are the â–şmedicaid costs may be businesses that were immediately passed down from Albany to affected,â€? he said. counties, costing Otsego $1 Statewide, Department of Labor milion in extra costs, county spokesman Deanna Cohen, said Treasurer Allen Ruffles fears. Please See JOB LOSS, A7 â–şBASSETT HAS 150 EXTRA BEDS
ON
in case the state sends patients to the hospital, upping its capacity to 300. â–ş200 “cooper’s cleanâ€? handsanitizers were given away by the Cooperstown Distillery Friday, March 20. The distillery said it is bottling more. â–şSEWARD has endorsed a business-friendly GOP COVID19 proposal, which extends sales tax payments by 90 days and makes no-interest loans avaliable. â–şattorney ryan miosek had dinner delivered to the entire Bassett Hospital staff on Friday, March 30, in appreciation of their service in the current crisis. â–şcounty churches closed but many streamed services on Facebook Live and other digital platforms
Merchants, Restaurateurs, Rental Firms Brace For The Summer That May Not Be In the summer of 2016, Sal Furnari right, could be found daily, serving a full house at his Maskot’s Pizza & Grill, Hartwick Seminary. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, Lonetta Swartout of Cooperstown Stay, below, was connecting hundreds of Dreams Park families with local accommodations. Jim Kevlin/from HOMETOWN ONEONTA archives
By JIM KEVLIN COOPERSTOWN
L
et’s start with some good news. As soon as the coronavirus threat is safely dispatched, Destination Marketing of Otsego County plans to launch a new
IT’S HERE! 1st Otsego Case Surfaces; 35 Quarantined By ELIZABETH COOPER
T
here is still only one positive case of the COVID-19 virus in Otsego County. But don’t let your guard down, because that number doesn’t tell the whole story. With confirmed cases skyrocketing above 25,000 in the state and testing supplies dwindling, there may be many here who have the virus but remain unidentified.
In Otsego County alone, there are 35 people on quarantine - either awaiting test results or who have had close contact with someone who has a confirmed case - according to county Health Department figures. And that doesn’t include the many others Bassett Healthcare Network practitioners may have recommended self-quarantine to patients with symptoms. People are jittery. Please See COVID-19, A9
promotion: “On Deck: Your Cooperstown Bucket List Getaway,� aimed at attracting fans from around the region whose lifelong dream is to visit Baseball’s Mecca. “Not now,� DMOC Executive Director Cassandra Harrington said Tuesday, March 24. “But when things change.� Please See DREAMS, A2
COOPERSTOWN’S JOYCE, ONEONTA’S BETTIOL
County Ex-Pats Report From COVID Hot Spots By LIBBY CUDMORE ONEONTA
T
he city that never sleeps has become a “ghost town.� Ask Carleigh Bettiol. “As of 8 p.m. Sunday evening, the city was on lockdown,� she said. “People are not allowed out unless for essential trips such as
Jenny Joyce and her visiting mom.
grocery, pharmacy, or medical visits.� Please See EX-PATS. A9
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