Molinaro Holds 40th Virtual Town Hall Forum
Poughkeepsie, NY … Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro today hosted his 40th online Town Hall Forum since mid-March, providing residents with updates about his 2021 Executive Budget, the COVID-19 pandemic and other topics, while answering their questions.
County Executive Molinaro will present his 2021 Executive Budget virtually on Wednesday, October 28th, with a series of online budget town hall forums — both afternoon and evening — to follow, providing residents information and the opportunity to ask questions about the spending proposal.
An archive of the County Executive’s virtual events, including today’s discussion, is available on the Dutchess County Government YouTube page.
Among the highlights of today’s conversation:
- County Executive Molinaro updated residents on the most current data posted on the Dutchess County COVID-19 Community Impact Dashboard:
- 196,256 tests completed
- 5,289 confirmed cases
- 135 active cases
- 11 hospitalizations
- 163 deaths
- 4,991 recovered
- 2% regional positivity rate
- Dutchess County’s positivity rate was 1% on Friday, Oct. 16th
- The County’s Department of Behavioral and Community Health (DBCH) continues to work with Marist College, which has been on “pause” for a week since positive COVID-19 cases resulted following an Oct. 3rd off-campus gathering earlier this month, to identify contacts and perform contact tracing of individuals who may have been exposed. A total of 30 positive cases have been related to the gathering.
- The Hedgewood Home for Adults in Beacon currently has eight active cases of COVID-19, part of a cluster that has resulted in a total of 75 confirmed cases. DBCH staff continues to monitor the cluster, and an order from the DBCH Commissioner for facility quarantine has now ended, as the cluster is waning.
- As Halloween approaches, DBCH has released safety guidance for trick-or-treaters, parents and homeowners for a safe and enjoyable holiday. Among the guidelines, children and parents who feel sick are asked to stay home; homeowners who feel sick should not hand out candy; trick-or-treaters asked to only congregate with people they know and remain 6 feet away from those they don’t; and drive-by events, such as a Halloween parade, should be considered in lieu of handing out candy or hosting a party.
County Executive Molinaro will hold his next virtual Town Hall Forum on Wednesday, Oct. 21st at 3 p.m.; the event will be broadcast live on the Dutchess County Government Facebook page. As with all his previous online forums, County Executive Molinaro will be joined by American Sign Language interpreters, who will translate the conversation.