The Times Herald-Record has reported that Orange County issued a public health alert on Thursday, August 12th, 2021 that all residents should wear masks indoors when in public spaces, regardless of vaccination status. This, as Sullivan County announced the following day that masks were required to be worn inside of all County buildings. Dutchess County has not issued guidance thus far. ALBB has reached out to Dutchess County today for comment (Monday August 16, 2021) and will update this article if a response comes. Orange County is across the Hudson River from Beacon, and is home to Newburgh and many other communities.

Before issuing a mask requirement, Dr. Irina Gelman, DPM, MPH, PHDc, the Commissioner of Health for Orange County, said that she is waiting to see what if anything will be done at the state level, as Kathy Hochul moves to become governor on Aug. 24 after Andrew Cuomo's formal resignation.

According to the CDC, Orange County, Sullivan County, and Dutchess County are all in “high transmission” areas, which to the CDC means a rise in Active Cases. See the CDC’s tool here. Areas in “high transmission” areas are strongly recommended by the CDC to mask up indoors in public spaces regardless of vaccination status.

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Announced on Friday, August 13th, and first reported by the Times Herald-Record, Sullivan County reinstated its required mask policy for all County buildings. Sullivan County Manager Joshua Potosek issued an Emergency Order reinstating the facial mask-wearing requirement for employees and visitors to all County buildings.

In a press release, County Manager Joshua explained: “This measure is designed to limit the spread of coronavirus, the Delta variant of which appears to be significantly driving up infections. Due to the limited capacity of our local health systems and our obligation to provide a safe workplace, this Order is necessary.”

Orange County issued last week a recommendation that all residents wear masks inside of public places regardless of vaccination status, as reported by the Times Herold-Record. The article reported that Orange County is waiting for the new governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, before they decide to make a recommendation on a requirement.

Dutchess County has not made an announcement yet that ALBB is aware of. Should they, this article will be updated.

The CDC Recommendation

As of July 27, 2021 until today, the CDC recommends that fully vaccinated people wear a mask when in a public indoor setting with “substantial or high transmission.” The CDC defines “substantial or high transmission” as the number of Active Cases in a county. All 3 counties - Dutchess, Sullivan and Orange - are considered “High” transmission by the CDC.

As of today 8/16/2021, the Active Case numbers for Sullivan and Dutchess Counties are as follows:

Sullivan County
143 Active Cases
Area: 997 mi²
Population: 75,116 (2019)
.0019 (active cases / population)

Dutchess County
721 Active Cases
Area: 825 mi²
Population: 294,218 (2019)
.0024 (active cases / population)

Inside Of Beacon City Schools

According to the Beacon City School District during their re-opening announcement, New York State has not provided guidance, and the New York State Department of Health and the New York State Education Department is deferring to the CDC for guidance. The Beacon City School District is requiring wearing masks for all students, staff and administrators regardless of vaccination status in indoor settings, but not outdoors. It is also providing for frequent mask breaks.

The Emergency Order takes effect at 8 a.m. this Monday, August 16 and will remain in place until further notice. It applies to everyone, whether vaccinated or not against COVID-19.