While the Covid-19 virus has had widespread effects across the globe, one area in particular that has managed the crisis effectively has been the counties of the Adirondack Park. Thanks to its rural setting, spread-out population and strict guidelines, counties in the Park have continuously been among the lowest infections rates in New York spanning from the start of the pandemic and through this past summer. Even with the never-ending flow of tourists from near and far, counties have continued to report extremely low infections rates, with Essex county (shown below) being the most notable with a state low rate of 4,242 infections per 100,000 people. In an article published by the Adirondack Explorer this summer, they looked back at the start of the pandemic recounting how dire the situation looked with thousands of people traveling to their second homes to escape the dangers of the big city, but consequently bringing the danger with them to the otherwise safe upstate counties. With fears of overrunning hospitals and spreading the virus, Public Health Director of Essex County, Linda Beers, knew something would have to change. Through her tireless work, Linda formed a partnership between Essex County, the Trudeau Institue, and Adirondack Health in Saranac Lake to establish the region’s only high-end covid testing facility. With this million-dollar testing facility, tracing possible covid exposures and cases became exponentially more efficient and easy reducing the spread of the virus right away and keeping the region among the safest in NY.
While the numbers on the low spread of the virus itself are impressive, it may not have been the most remarkable statistic. Across New York this past year, the second quarter of the business year saw on average a 27% drop in sales and revenue tax income. Over the course of the year, the drop averaged out to around 10% in most places, but many counties north of NYC, especially in the Adirondack region ended up seeing small increases when compared to projections and prior years. In North Country which envelops the Adirondack Park (5 on the map below), the region saw a 2% increase in its revenue income. It is largely reported that this region did so well thanks to the increase of tourists to the region. In an interview conducted by Adirondack reporter, Emily Russell, she spoke with the NY State Comptroller, Tom DiNapoli, to understand why that was the case. Tom explained that the increase in sales and tax revenue to the region was thanks to the tourist season which saw increases in numbers by people seeking some form of normalcy and escape from the virus. These visitors help to revitalize small businesses which in turn, helped pull the region back to even and eventually exceeding the expected state tax revenue. The unnoticed efforts occuring behind the scenes in so many counties, were the reason so many counties in the Park were able to come out on top of a dire situation.
I really enjoyed reading your blog post. When I was scrolling through our blog, this headline intrigued me. Due to the Adirondacks remote and low poverty environment, I was curious as to how Covid would have effected this area. I was very glad to learn that Covid did not have too much of a negative impact on the Adirondack community. I find it very interesting that even with Covid there was an increase in revenue to the Adirondack region. More specifically, this revenue increase could correlate with many other issues occurring within the park. I wrote my blog post about the increase in visitors to the Adirondacks so an increase in revenue would heavily connect with an increase of people visiting the Adirondacks. Additionally, the way in which you presented the information and wrote this article was great. It was incredibly clear, provided great details, but also remained engaging. The visuals added a nice break in the blog as well as enhancing your written content. — Morgane