UPDATE 7:30 pm: Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro issued a video announcement that Dutchess County would be including this data on their website “soon.” Get details and watch the video here.

While this seems obvious to most people, there seem to be some people who are waiting for an official answer on whether there are confirmed COVID-19 cases in Beacon. If you have any friends at all, who have access to texts and emails, you will know that this answer is yes, there are confirmed COVID-19 cases in Beacon. But as for an official number on a website, you will not find that web page as of today, 3/30/20.

When the first email came into A Little Beacon Blog of a confirmed coronavirus case being exposed to a facility in Beacon, we emailed the mayor’s office for confirmation. The answer we got was that the City of Beacon was waiting on confirmation from Dutchess County. When a text arrived the next day of a friend who had tested positive for coronavirus, we did not pursue seeking confirmation, nor did we publish it, because it is not an official number.

When a reader wrote in yesterday, asking a similar question, A Little Beacon Blog pursued the question again. The reader asked: “Do you know if there is a town-by-town breakdown of COVID-19 cases in Dutchess County or how we find out that info?”

We reached out to Jean-Marie Niebuhr, coordinator of Prevention and Harm Reduction Services at Dutchess County Department of Behavioral and Community Health, who urged people to visit the New York State website for county-by-county breakdown and encouraged people to call the COVID-19 hotline at (845) 486-3555.

But that doesn’t answer questions about Beacon specifically. So we asked again. Because some people, who are believers and practicers of social distancing, like my own husband who fears the virus because of his age of 56 and his family history of diabetes, and my and our children’s history of asthma cough, said to me moments prior to me pursuing official confirmation that cases are in Beacon:

“I can’t believe it’s not here (Beacon). Until I hear it officially, I will believe that,” he said.

Jean-Marie connected me with Colleen Pillus, Communications Director of the Dutchess County Executive Office. I asked Colleen one more time:

“Can you do anything to give us these city numbers, as an official count?”

Colleen’s response:

“Not at this time, but I can tell you that the case count by town reflects population density – so there are several confirmed cases in Beacon. Every single town, village and city in Dutchess County has been impacted by cases of COVID-19. There are currently (as of 3/30/2020) no particular hot spots or clusters.”

Dutchess County’s Message In Full About Location Of Coronavirus

Said Colleen in an email to A Little Beacon Blog on 3/30/2020:

“We have been trying to get everyone to understand that coronavirus is everywhere and act accordingly – staying home to stop the spread.

“Too many people think that a given town or area is ‘safe,’ when in reality every single town, village and city in Dutchess County has been impacted by COVID-19.

“The current total confirmed case count for Dutchess County is reported daily on the NYS site here. We have that link on our www.dutchessny.gov/coronavirus website.

“Today’s (3/30/2020) current count of positive cases is 320. I actually had a woman ask about case count because she wanted to monitor it to determine ‘when it was no longer safe to go out’ – It is no longer safe to go out NOW!!

“The important thing to remember is that the case count reflects the known cases – those are the ones you should be least worried about, as those individuals are quarantined and being monitored.

“It is the ones who don’t realize they have it that we have to worry most about. Knowing that one town may have X cases while another town has Y cases makes no difference.

“The message to the public continues to be a very loud – Stay Home! Stay Safe! Stop the Spread! If you must go out, assume everyone has coronavirus or has been in direct contact with someone who has – and be very diligent about personal hygiene – handwashing, not touching your face, and serious social distancing of at least 6-foot radius around you.

”While we will not stray from this messaging – we are looking at reorganizing some data for the public to share later in the week or early next.”

Thank you, Colleen for sharing this information. Social distancing is very hard. Even if you are being strict with it. One constantly needs reminders like these. Myself included.

Confirmed Case In Cold Spring By Haldane Superintendent

According to the Highlands Current, “Haldane announced that a student in the district has a confirmed case of COVID-19. It said the student is resting at home and that the symptoms, which first appeared after schools had been closed, have been mild. “It is inevitable that we will continue to have cases,” said Superintendent Philip Benante in an email to the community. “I will not be able to inform you of each one during our closure; however, I felt it was important to bring this first known case to your attention. It reinforces that our children are vulnerable to this illness and that we must take the necessary precautions as a community to stop its spread.”