There were no new positive coronavirus cases in Chautauqua County as of today, officials reported in their daily update at 3:30 p.m. today. That leaves the current count at seven confirmed cases of COVID-19. Eighty-seven tests done here have come back negative.

County officials noted in their daily briefing today that Chautauqua County Public Health staff performs an intensive investigation to identify close contacts of positive COVID-19 cases. Following guidance from the state Department of Health, contact tracing begins on the day the person with the positive test started having symptoms.

The state Health Department deems this the beginning of the infections period. “Once identified, our department notifies the close contacts of their potential exposure to COVID-19 and they are placed under mandatory or precautionary quarantine to monitor for symptoms,” officials said in a statement. “If you do not personally hear from a public health nurse, you are not a close contact of an individual who has been confirmed to have COVID-19. Per NYSDOH, close contact refers to a person who cared for or lived with a person with COVID-19. It does not include activities such as walking by a person or sitting across a waiting room or office for a brief time.”

There are several individuals who have received isolation and quarantine orders by the Public Health Director. This includes:

— 21 individuals in Mandatory Quarantine (individuals confirmed positive of COVID-19 or a household contact of a confirmed positive COVID-19 case);

— 38 individuals in Precautionary Quarantine (individuals with travel history to CDC level 3 country or proximal contact of a confirmed case of COVID-19);

— 22 individuals in Mandatory Isolation (individuals who are symptomatic of COVID-19 and are pending COVID-19 lab test); and

The Chautauqua County COVID-19 Response Team continues to meet daily during this pandemic to stay up-to-date on rapidly changing situations. They ask that you do your part:

· Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds, and wash them more frequently throughout the day;

· Avoid touching your face;

· Cover your coughs or sneezes;

· Avoid close contact with others by keeping a distance of six feet;

· Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces;

· Stay home and avoid contact with others if you are sick.