OSWEGO – The Oswego County Health Department is investigating a cluster of COVID-19 cases associated with employees at Raby’s Ace Home Center, 247 Washington Blvd., Oswego.
Members of the public who visited the store between Wednesday, Aug. 5 and Thursday, Aug. 13 may have been exposed to the virus.
Oswego County Public Health Director Jiancheng Huang said anyone who visited the store during that time period should watch for COVID-19 symptoms such as fever, cough, loss of taste or smell, shortness of breath, or gastrointestinal illness for 14 days after their visit, until Aug. 27.
People experiencing symptoms should stay home and call their health care provider or the Oswego County Health Department COVID-19 hotline at 315-349-3330 for further guidance. People should not go to emergency departments unless they are experiencing life-threatening symptoms.
The Oswego County Health Department is working closely with Raby’s Ace Home Center and the New York State Department of Health in the investigation. They are reaching out to notify all known contacts of the infected individuals.
“The location was made public because our investigation shows there is a possibility of exposure to members of the public whom we could not track down,” said Huang. “We must balance public safety with protecting the privacy of infected individuals who have done nothing wrong. This is consistent with our policy of notifying the public when investigations of positive cases determine there is a possibility that people who couldn’t be identified and contacted may have become infected.”
“Our employees and customers are our first priority and we are doing everything we can to keep them safe,” said Robert Raby, co-owner of Raby’s Ace Home Center. “As a result, we made the decision to temporarily close the store so we can focus on the situation at hand. We’ve enhanced our cleaning and sanitizing procedures in accordance with state and local guidance and are working with the county health department to assist them with their contact tracing program.
According to Raby, the store has adopted and implemented safety protocols as directed by the Oswego County Health Department and New York State and CDC guidance since the emergence of the coronavirus in the area. He said, “All employees and customers are required to wear face masks and practice social distancing, and there are plexiglass shields installed at our cash registers and customer service desk.
“The health department staff have provided us with clear direction about our next steps as we move toward re-opening,” he continued. “We want to assure people that we are maintaining all health protocols to help keep them safe and look forward to working with them on their next projects very soon.”
Oswego County officials said it is imperative to wear a face covering, practice social distancing and take personal responsibility for preventing the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
Oswego County Legislature Chairman James Weatherup is urging residents to take every necessary precaution. He said, “This disease is everywhere. Social distancing and other personal protection measures will help reduce the spread of the virus and limit your chance of exposure. If we don’t all do our part, it will continue to spread.”
The Oswego County Health Department reminds people that it’s important to follow these critical actions:
- Wear a face mask or covering over your nose and mouth.
- Avoid non-essential gatherings of all types and sizes.
- Keep six feet from other people.
- Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially before eating.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue and then throw the tissue in the trash.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Stay home if you are sick unless you are seeking health care.
- Call your healthcare provider from home if you are experiencing symptoms such as a fever, cough, loss of taste or smell, shortness of breath or gastrointestinal illness.
- Call 911 you are experiencing life-threatening conditions.
Residents are asked to continue monitoring reliable sources of information. Go to oswegocounty.com or health.oswegocounty.com/covid-19 for the latest news releases, daily updates and video presentations. For more information, go to cdc.gov.
Additional questions can be directed to the Oswego County Health Department COVID-19 hotline at 315-349-3330 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Oswego County presents videos highlighting various COVID-19 topics on Tuesday afternoons. They are posted on Oswego County’s COVID-19 playlist on YouTube, Facebook and the county government website at oswegocounty.com.
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