Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente announced Monday that there would be a decrease in the amount of press briefings he would give to residents and the media. He emphasized the fact that transparency will continue to be paramount in his office's daily responsibilities.

The frequency of briefings has been reduced to twice a week, unless there is some event that leads him and his staff to call the media in to make that announcement. Going forward this week, the next anticipated briefing will be on Friday, May 5th, 2020. Press Releases with a rundown of daily numbers will continue to be dispersed by WIBX and other outlets. Of course, the county will continue to have their dashboard available at ocgov.net.

Picente also announced the latest COVID-19 numbers in Oneida County. The number of new positive cases has increased by 16 to 1,033. One positive case announced Sunday was found to be negative and removed from the total. He did mention an additional fatality, bringing the total number of deaths to 49. Monday's death announcement was nursing home related, according to Picente.

Picente also addressed the protests on Sunday. Thought he respects the citizens right to protest, he doesn't like the aspect of gatherings and would prefer people to continue to social distance. Picente said,

Saturday came and we were notified that there would be a rally and protest and we had great concerns. We prepared for the extreme and hoped for the best, as we do in these situations as part of our role in government.

Director of Health Phyllis Ellis did indicate that she was happy people were wearing masks, but reiterated policies that have been put in place by state and local governments. Picente did compliment the community on the example they set for communities across the country.

Here are some tips for self-care during the pandemic:

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