Syracuse mayor quarantines after Binghamton mayor’s positive COVID-19 test

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh on Thursday said he is undertaking a “precautionary” quarantine after potential exposure to COVID-19 at a New York Conference of Mayors event in Syracuse on Wednesday.

Binghamton Mayor Richard David has announced on Twitter that he tested positive for COVID-19. David, the current NYCOM president, attended Wednesday’s event at the Atrium in City Hall Commons.

“Late Wednesday, I tested positive for COVID-19. I’m feeling fine and will be resting at home. I will follow the recommendations of healthcare providers on treatment and isolation, and I’m working with health department staff to ensure proper contact tracing,” David tweeted. “Our area is experiencing an increase in COVID-19 cases. I continue to encourage all residents to follow state and federal safety guidelines, including wearing masks in public, social distancing and frequent hand washing.”

Walsh said his contact was minimal and that the quarantine is out of an “abundance of caution,” according to a Thursday news release issued by his office.

Walsh will continue his duties as mayor during his quarantine. COVID-19 health precautions were followed at the event, his office noted.

Following its standard procedure, the Onondaga County Health Department will conduct contact tracing of individuals at the event and will contact any individuals for whom additional precautions are required.

Walsh isn’t the only upstate New York mayor who is quarantining as a precaution.

“Yesterday I participated in a press conference with Mayor David,” Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick tweeted. “I will immediately enter a precautionary quarantine and will await contact from the [Tompkins County] Health Department.”

Walsh, David, Myrick, and other municipal officials attended the NYCOM event, which focused on the “budgetary crisis” that New York’s cities and villages are facing.