Sarah Trafton is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media Greene County lawmakers have honored the county Public Health Department with the 2020 Chairman’s Award acknowledging the department's work on the COVID-19 pandemic. The county Public Health Department staff has worked seven days a week to monitor and protect the health of the community since a state of emergency was declared in March, according to Legislature Chairman Patrick Linger’s declaration. "The department staff has been working to ensure that all COVID-19 testing is appropriately reported, positive cases are isolated, and individuals who have been exposed to the virus or are traveling from states identified as high risk are quarantined and monitored," Linger said. The chairman said public health employees have embraced the work with dedication and excellence. According to the declaration, the department has administered more than 960 tests countywide, at clinics in Catskill, Coxsackie, Cairo, Greenville, Windham and outside of the county office building in Catskill. The Legislature in June approved a resolution that would allow management staff to be eligible for catastrophic incident pay during the state of emergency. The county is tracking the number of hours worked and materials purchased for pandemic-related reasons hoping the costs will be reimbursed by FEMA, Linger said this week. Linger did not have an estimate for what the overtime could cost the county. The Public Health Department continues to maintain a seven-day a week schedule, but the hours are staggered now, Linger said. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.