Executive Order

Published: 3/14/2020

Executive Order #1 of 2020 - State of Emergency

Montgomery County Taking Steps to Protect Public from Coronavirus/COVID-19

FONDA— In light of the increase in confirmed cases of Coronavirus/COVID-19 in New York State, Montgomery County Executive Matthew L. Ossenfort has declared a State of Emergency for Montgomery County effective at 1 p.m. today.

The State of Emergency is issued pursuant to Section 24 of New York State Executive Law and is enforceable by local, county and state law enforcement agencies. The State of Emergency will remain in effect through March 31.  

All Montgomery County office buildings are closed to the public and only essential employees are to report to work. The County Executive has been working in conjunction with Montgomery County’s Director of Public Health Sara Boerenko and they have consulted with school superintendents throughout the county and made the recommendation to close all public and private schools for the next two weeks.

“Our team in Montgomery County is working together to ensure that we are prepared for this emerging health situation and I am choosing to use caution to keep our residents safe by declaring this State of Emergency,” Ossenfort said.      

Boerenko said, “Please note that at this time, we still have presumptive cases of COVID-19 that need to be sent to the CDC for confirmatory testing. With that being said, after much advisement, discussion and research, I have made a decision to proceed with extreme caution to protect those in Montgomery County from being placed in situations that could cause unnecessary exposure for most of our vulnerable populations.”

“During this time, I want to remind people that while schools will be closed, we want to limit and restrict movements,” Boerenko said. “The fastest way this disease is spreading is close and prolonged contact. I ask that we limit social gatherings, outings and continue to use good hand hygiene to protect ourselves from increased exposure.”

County Executive Ossenfort is declaring the following:

• Closing all Montgomery County Offices to staff and the public through March 31, only essential employees are to report to work
• Suspending all large social and community gatherings, including County-sponsored events, to allow adequate social distancing, effective March 15
• Suspending all visitation at Montgomery County Jail, effective March 15
• Suspending all Civil Service Exams through March 31
• Recommending the suspension of all classroom and extracurricular functions for 14 days, including extra-curricular activities, effective March 15. Schools may remain open to administration, staff, and staff functions. This order does not include private daycare facilities, Head Start or other daycare programs, unless there is a direct need based on school facility logistics.

Montgomery County Public Health would like to remind the public to not go directly to the doctor’s office, an emergency room or other healthcare facilities. These simple steps will help prevent the spread of the virus and protect you and your loved ones.

If you are a resident and have recently traveled outside the U.S. and have questions regarding COVID-19, please contact the Montgomery Public Health at 518-853-3531.

For general questions, residents may also contact the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) 2019 Novel Coronavirus hotline at 1-888-364-3065 to speak with a NYSDOH expert who will answer questions. This is open 24 hours a day.

County Executive Declares State of Emergency Press Release (PDF)

Signed by Matthew L. Ossenfort, Montgomery County Executive