SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – COVID-19 emergency orders in Onondaga County had been in place since the beginning of the pandemic, until today when County Executive Ryan McMahon didn’t renew some of the mainstay orders. Two of the orders were canceled today by McMahon.
One of the crucial cancellations was the “Vax or test” policy in schools around the county. With this policy gone, McMahon advocated for an alternative measure to make sure kids are safe and can continue to go to school.
“We’ll continue our surveillance testing program which we’ve been doing in schools,” McMahon said. He described the program as a take-home testing alternative for families testing their kids before school and added that his own kids participate in this program.
There was no definitive deadline for the remaining two orders, which both involved the local food service industry.
“We’ll see how long those stay in place as well,” McMahon said. Both orders have benefited local restaurants by promoting outdoor dining and controlling food delivery service fees by apps like Door Dash and Uber Eats.
McMahon was optimistic about the future for the county, potentially signaling that the worst of this virus is behind us in Central New York.
