Rockland seeks state aid as coronavirus numbers spike
Rockland County officials announced Monday they are approaching 1,800 confirmed cases of the coronavirus.
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Mar 31, 2020, 12:33 AM
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Updated 1,696 days ago
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Rockland County officials announced Monday they are approaching 1,800 confirmed cases of the coronavirus.
As of right now, two zip codes are hit the hardest: 10952 and 10977. Eighteen people have died so far due to COVID-19.
Rockland Health Commissioner Dr. Patricia Ruppert said the majority of those deaths were people over 60 years old and had pre-existing conditions.
County Executive Ed Day said he wants to get ahead of the curve and is calling on the state for assistance.
"Rockland was originally included in the governor's plans to temporary hospitals and we're asking that he revisit the plan as quickly as possible. We are nearing a point where local capacity could soon be overwhelmed," said Day.
Day said one possible site for a temporary hospital is the Eugene Levy Field House on the Rockland Community College campus in Suffern.
According to the school, with 90,000 square feet of space, it is considered the largest building of its kind in the Northeast.
Because numbers in Rockland quickly climbed in the last three weeks, officials say they have to prepare for an apex now.
The state Health Department reported Monday that more than 2,500 people tested positive for the coronavirus in Rockland.
Rockland Health Commissioner Dr. Patricia Ruppert said the majority of those deaths were people over 60 years old and had pre-existing conditions.
County Executive Ed Day said he wants to get ahead of the curve and is calling on the state for assistance.
"Rockland was originally included in the governor's plans to temporary hospitals and we're asking that he revisit the plan as quickly as possible. We are nearing a point where local capacity could soon be overwhelmed," said Day.
Day said one possible site for a temporary hospital is the Eugene Levy Field House on the Rockland Community College campus in Suffern.
According to the school, with 90,000 square feet of space, it is considered the largest building of its kind in the Northeast.
Because numbers in Rockland quickly climbed in the last three weeks, officials say they have to prepare for an apex now.
The state Health Department reported Monday that more than 2,500 people tested positive for the coronavirus in Rockland.
A county spokesperson explained their numbers at the moment are much lower as they take the state's latest data and confirm they are from Rockland.
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