(Photo by Julie O’Connor)
Ulster County Clerk Nina Postupack has announced that the Department of Motor Vehicles will be closed to the public for health and safety reasons after an employee tested positive for Covid-19. This closure will begin immediately and is in effect until January 4.
“Our primary concern is for the health and safety of our employees and the public,” stated County Clerk Postupack. “This closure is mandated by the CDC and we will do everything possible to ensure a safe, socially responsible reopening. In-person services will be available again on January 4th and we encourage our residents to use online and mail options, as well as the drop-box until then.”
Residents can still complete transactions online or mail routine transactions to the Ulster County Clerk’s Office, PO Box 1800, Kingston, NY 12402. The Department of Motor Vehicles will have a drop-box outside the back-door of the County Office Building for plate surrenders and registration renewals. License renewals will also be accepted in the drop-box and appointments can be scheduled online. For other transactions or frequently asked questions, please visit the New York State DMV website at https://dmv.ny.gov/.
For further information, please contact Ulster County Clerk Nina Postupack at countyclerk@co.ulster.ny.us. Updates are available and appointments can be scheduled at the County Clerk’s website clerk.ulstercountyny.gov. Updates will also be posted on the County Clerk’s Facebook page.
12/30 Update: previous version of this article stated the DMV would be closed until January 7. A subsequent release from the county clerk said it would re-open earlier, January 4.
Please explain this CDC “mandate.” Any number of Ulster County businesses have reported both employees and customers testing positive for Covid to Ulster Board of Health without shutting down.
The CDC guidelines state that, “potentially exposed employees […] stay home for 14 days, telework if possible, and self-monitor for symptoms. The best way to protect yourself and others is to stay home for 14 days if you think you’ve been exposed to someone who has COVID-19” (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/guidance-business-response.html). At least one employee tested positive and they all work in a small space for the number of workers. I trust that the good people working at the DMV know what they are doing and are doing the right thing.
Grbnik- actually most businesses experiencing a positive case of Covid do shut down for 14 days- it’s implied and in many cases mandated. Too high a risk of co-workers- and customers- who were exposed getting infected. This it the crux of why the US lost 3750 people yesterday alone to Covid and has close to 20 millions cases at this point. Too many Americans choosing their own, incorrect, reckless and selfish take on wearing a mask, going on vacation, insisting on going to bars, restaurants, private parties, family gatherings outside of their typical “bubble” etc. It’s amazing to watch- just how high will the death count need to be before Americans simply follow the pretty simple guidelines that will squash out / down the case spread.