Onondaga County has confirmed 17 cases of the coronavirus since Monday, bringing its total number of cases to 537.

Despite the increase, data shows that social distancing measures in the county have started to slow the spread of the virus, County Executive Ryan McMahon said in a media briefing Tuesday.

The county’s total number of recoveries increased to 268 as of Tuesday, surpassing the number of active cases by 10, McMahon said. Active cases include patients who have contracted the virus but have not recovered or died.

“We believe that social distancing is working,” McMahon said. “We are starting to see positive data.”

The coronavirus causes COVID-19, a respiratory disease that has infected 203,020 people as of Tuesday and has killed 10,842. The county has reported 537 cases of COVID-19, and 11 people have died.

There are 49 individuals currently hospitalized with COVID-19 in Onondaga County, and 21 are in critical condition, McMahon said. Of the 537 total cases, 210 were reported in the city of Syracuse, he said.

The Syracuse Police Department will continue to respond to complaints of individuals and businesses violating social distancing guidelines, Mayor Ben Walsh said at the briefing. SPD has received 237 social distancing complaints since the outbreak began, Walsh said.

Many businesses SPD has received complaints about have turned out to be compliant with social distancing guidelines, Walsh said. The department has ordered four non-compliant businesses to shut down or receive a $1,000 fine, he said.

In order to protect police from exposure to the virus, SPD officers will not issue citations to people violating social distancing guidelines at this time, Walsh said.

“It’s not just about you,” Walsh said. “You’re not only putting yourself at a higher risk, you’re putting your loved ones and your friends at a higher risk. And in some cases, if our first responders and our police officers show up, you’re putting them at risk, too.”

The city of Syracuse is anticipating a $13.9 million deficit as a result of the outbreak, Walsh said. The city is also projecting a total financial impact of $14.5 to $20 million dollars due to revenue declines and the costs of preparing for the outbreak.

The Syracuse City School District has begun posting signs on its property after city officials received complaints of individuals congregating on school grounds, Walsh said. The city has placed locks on the doors of other recreational facilities, he said.

“We’ve done everything we feel within our power to keep individuals out of those facilities,” Walsh said. “The vast majority of people are doing the right thing. It’s the small percentage of people that are not following the rules, unfortunately, that are taking up a lot of our attention.”

Published on April 14, 2020 at 10:30 pm

Contact Chris: cjhippen@syr.edu