Broome County officials said Saturday they are implementing a state of emergency in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and will close all schools.

Broome officials said there is still no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the county.

Broome County Executive Jason Garnar said he believes it is not a matter of "if" the coronavirus reaches Broome, but a matter of "when."

The state of emergency will allow for funds to be used as needed that relate to closures and emergency needs in the county relating to the impact of the threat of the coronavirus.

The announcement came the same day as other counties made similar decisions, including Tioga, Chemung, Schuyler and Steuben counties in the Southern Tier. On Friday, Tompkins County announced a state of emergency and said all schools in the county will close, including the Ithaca City School District.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Saturday that Tioga and Tompkins counties each have one new positive case of COVID-19.

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New York state has more than 500 confirmed cases and Cuomo announced the state's first death from COVID-19 early Saturday, an 82-year-old woman with pre-existing conditions who died in a Brooklyn hospital.

"I am not taking any chances when it comes to protecting our kids and our families," Garnar said. "It's just a matter of time before we start to see our first cases."

He called this move "unprecedented" in Broome County, but said the region needs to be proactive.

All Broome County public schools will be closed beginning Monday. At this time, the plan is to re-open schools April 14. He said that as the pandemic spreads and conditions change, the date to reopen the schools may change.

The buildings will remain open to staff, but all extracurricular activities will be canceled.

Garnar said it was the most difficult decision he's made during his time as Broome County Executive.

"As a parent of three kids with a wife who works, I understand the strain that this will put on Broome County families," Garnar said.

Planning to feed students

Garnar said the priority is that students in Broome County continue to receive the meals and services they need.

"We're going to make sure that no child misses a meal during this closure," he said.

Broome-Tioga BOCES Superintendent Allen Buyck said he's been working with all the districts to develop plans for feeding students and it will be announced as soon as possible.

"We are talking about in a period of 48 hours we are going to be doing a large food distribution operation across multiple sites in all of Broome County," Garnar said.

Garnar said he knows the decision will impact the local workforce, day care, and families.

Schools impacted in Broome

Tioga County also closes schools

Tioga County has its first positive case of COVID-19 and officials declared a state of emergency Saturday. All public schools in the county will close until mid-April.

County officials said there is only one known confirmed case, and staff is continuing to monitor the situation and determine individuals and places this individual might have had close contact with.

Tioga County's school closure includes all extracurricular activities until April 14. Some schools could remain open for administrative staff and staff services.

“Continuing our collective efforts of ‘social-distancing’, we have directed schools in Tioga County to close” said Tioga County Legislative Chair and Public Health Director Lisa McCafferty. “School dismissal is an effective public health measure to prevent and slow the transmission of COVID-19.”

Tioga County school districts include Candor, Newark Valley, Owego-Apalachin, Tioga, Spencer-Van Etten, Waverly.

More coronavirus updates from the Southern Tier

Officials in Chemung County and Schuyler County declared states of emergency Saturday. Steuben County also said a state of emergency will go into effect Wednesday.

In Chemung, students will attend school Monday but will not return until April 14. The Odessa-Montour School District and Watkins Glen School District in Schuyler County will be closed Monday, reopen Tuesday so students can receive remote learning materials, and then close through April 13.

Steuben County officials directed schools to close March 18 through April 12.