Retailer Dollar General announced that it is offering its Utica, Rome, Herkimer, and Syracuse workers four hours of pay if they go get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Victoria Aims to Step Up Hotel Quarantine Program
The Victorian government will bolster its hotel quarantine program with the addition of more hotels and a senior manager as it prepares to facilitate more overseas travellers.
The move comes after the Victorian government initiated new quarantine measures for flight crews, and interstate returnees who are returning from COVID-19 hotspots in Australia. Currently, the hotel quarantine program, which restarted early December, has been operating at only half its capacity.
Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley said the breach of the highly-infectious UK strain from hotel quarantine demonstrated why the system has to be taken as “seriously and assiduously” as possible.
9 New COVID-19 Deaths in the Region as Cases Increase
In the last 24-hours, the Mohawk Valley has seen 9 new deaths related to COVID-19, 1 in Herkimer County and 8 in Oneida County. Since New Year s Eve, a staggering 43 people (12 from Herkimer County and 31 from Oneida County) have died of COVID-19 Meanwhile, positive cases continue to grow in both counties. Herkimer County reported 67 new positive tests and Oneida County added 234 new positive cases on Sunday.
“Today shows how deadly this virus continues to be, as we are reporting the most deaths we have ever had in one day,” said Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente Jr. “Our deepest sympathies go out to the family and friends of these eight people whose lives were lost. Hope is around the corner as we ramp up vaccinating our residents, but in the meantime, we cannot become complacent. We must see this through until the end.”
Oneida County added 312 new cases with three new deaths from COVID-19 on Friday and Herkimer County had another big day, with 129 new positive cases and one new death as of 12 noon on Friday.