Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan has declared a 30-day state of emergency amid rising COVID cases.
Ryan, a Democrat, said active cases have tripled since Halloween, with cases now at their highest levels since April.
The state of emergency declared Sunday will allow Ulster County to more rapidly procure coronavirus testing supplies, bolster emergency public health staffing, and to redeploy the workforce to support testing, contact tracing, and vaccination efforts if deemed necessary.
Ryan is urging unvaccinated residents to seek a COVID vaccine and the fully vaccinated to get a booster shot if eligible.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul has declared a state of emergency as concerns mount over the new Omicron coronavirus variant.