If there’s anything certain about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that spreading across the US and the world, it’s uncertainty. While people sit quarantined in their homes, questions are swirling throughout group text messages and conference calls: What are the symptoms? What do I do if I think I have it? Can I leave my house? Will grocery stores close? How long will this go on for? What will happen to the stock market? What will happen to my job?
While many of these questions can’t be answered at this time, there are resources available to the public that provide up-to-date information about the virus and its implications. Here are some of the resources saratoga living found to be the most helpful in explaining what’s going on and keeping the public in the know.
Global
World Health Organization (WHO)
As its name implies, the World Health Organization (WHO) is monitoring the COVID-19 outbreak around the world. Its homepage has a link to emergency information regarding COVID-19 with the latest updates from across the globe.
National
Centers For Disease Control And Prevention (CDC)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) website is the most trusted place to get information regarding COVID-19 in the US. It offers information on symptoms, preparing your family, travel, what to do if you’re sick and more, as well as a map of cases in across the country.
Social Distancing: This Is Not A Snow Day
In this article, primary care physician and public health leader Asaf Bitton of Ariadne Labs does a great job of summing up the importance of “social distancing” and “flattening the curve,” two terms that you’ve surely heard over and over again, but may not totally understand. One sentence in the article is bolded, and worth repeating: “The only strategies that can get us off this concerning trajectory are those that enable us to work together as a community to maintain public healthy by staying apart.”
State
New York State Department Of Health
The New York State Department of Health is also posting continuous COVID-19 updates to its website and has a running tally of the number of confirmed cases in the state. The latest update, as of 11am on March 17, is the signing of an executive order by Governor Andrew Cuomo stating all schools in New York must close by March 18 and remain closed for two weeks ending April 1.
New York State Coronavirus Guide
A new guide to COVID-19 in New York, released by the healthcare social network Voro, seeks to keep New York State residents up to date on the status of the virus. The webpage is updated hourly with all the latest information coming out of the New York State Government and Department of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization, and has up-to-date information of the number of confirmed cases in each county of the state (as of noon on Tuesday, there were nine confirmed cases in Saratoga County).
Local
City Of Saratoga Springs
Locally, the City of Saratoga Springs is updating its website regularly with news that affects city residents. On Friday, March 13 the city declared a state of emergency, which warranted the closure of City Hall offices, though the City Police Department, Fire/EMS Department and vital Public Works staff will continue to operate as normal. The regularly scheduled City Council meeting will be held on March 17, and while the public is not allowed to attend in person, it is encouraged to send questions or concerns that it would like to have entered into the record to Mayor Kelly’s office at Meg.Kelly@Saratoga-Springs.org. The March 17 meeting will be streamed on the city’s website and Facebook page.
Saratoga Star Radio’s COVID-19 Broadcast
On March 16, Saratoga’s Star Radio, in collaboration with Discover Saratoga, the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce, the Saratoga Springs Downtown Business Association, the Saratoga County Prosperity Partnership and the Saratoga Economic Development Corporation, hosted a special broadcast with local representatives and medical experts to answer questions from area residents about the coronavirus. You can listen to that broadcast on Star Radio’s website.
saratoga living
saratoga living will continue to monitor the COVID-19 outbreak as more information becomes available. For now, check out our stories on the rescheduling of the Kentucky Derby, Saratoga County’s “Take Out Week” and Skidmore College’s decision to have students work remotely for the remainder of the semester.