Ulster County issued a number of new guidelines for daycares to follow during the coronavirus pandemic.

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Ulster County officials issued the following guidance for daycares due to COVID-19

  • Reduce attendance to 50 percent to encourage social distancing within classrooms
  • Give priority to families who are first responders and health care workers
  • Take the temperature of all children and staff with a no-touch thermometer before entering the building
  • No one is allowed in with a fever
  • Implement curbside pickup where parents do not enter the building to pick up or drop off their children
  • Wash hands frequently
  • Encourage children to wash hands
  • Schedule time for handwashing
  • Clean frequently touched surfaces and toys daily
  • Separate children who become sick during the day, parents must pick up sick child immediately
  • If a student or staff member is diagnosed with COVID-19 the building must be closed for at least 24 hours to clean and investigate the contacts the person may have had within the school environment.

As of this writing, there are 10 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus in Ulster County.

On Wednesday, Deising's Bakery and Restaurant in Kingston was informed a staff member tested positive for COVID-19. This person was asymptomatic until Sunday, March 15 when the employee experienced chest discomfort which was described as feeling like a pulled muscle, the businesses confirmed on Facebook.

"From this point on our top priority is to protect our staff and the rest of our community so we will be closing both Uptown and Midtown locations until further notice. We have been under the guidance of the Ulster County Health Commissioner," the Deising family wrote in a message on Facebook. "The Ulster County Health Department has been working very hard to keep all of us safe, and we cannot thank them enough for all of their hard work over the past few weeks. Deising’s Bakery has 90 employees so we will do our best to reopen as soon as it is safe. In the meantime, we will be doing all we can to sanitize the restaurant and we will reopen as soon as the Health Department assures us that it is safe to do so. We ask that you all continue to support all of the local businesses staying open during this extremely tough time."

Many Facebook commenters praised the bakery for its civic-mindedness in publicizing the news.

Ulster County Exective Pat Ryan will join Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro in a Facebook Live town hall on Friday at 11AM to update the public on the latest information on COVID-19's impact on the region and to take questions.

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