A barber who defied New York's stay-at-home order to give haircuts tested positive for COVID-19

• A Kingston, New York barber has tested positive for the coronavirus after giving haircuts while in defiance of the state's PAUSE order over the past few weeks, CNN reported.
• The Kingston barbershop had defied New York's statewide closure of nonessential businesses to continue operating, a move Ulster County health commissioner Dr. Carol Smith called "extraordinarily disheartening," according to a public health statement.
• While Ulster County and other parts of New York have entered Phase One of the state's reopening plan, barbershops and hair salons are not expected to be allowed to reopen until Phase Two.
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A barber in Kingston, New York has tested positive for the coronavirus after their barbershop stayed open over the last few weeks as other non-essential businesses remained closed, CNN reported.

An Ulster County public health notice announced the barber's diagnosis on May 13. The barber, according to the report, had been giving haircuts despite New York's statewide closure of nonessential businesses, including barbershops and hair salons.

Ulster County health commissioner Dr. Carol Smith said in a public health notice that learning of the barbershop's illegal activities while having a COVID-19-positive employee was "extraordinarily disheartening."

"As much as we would all like to go out and get a professional haircut, this kind of direct contact has the potential to dramatically spread this virus throughout our community and beyond," Smith said in the statement.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced an extension of the "New York Pause" order on Friday. New York Pause was originally set to expire on May 28, and now will expire on June 13. The state will continue following a phased reopening strategy. Ulster County is in Phase One of reopening, which allows the reopening of construction, agriculture, manufacturing, wholesale trade, and retail limited to curbside or in-store pickup. Barbershops and salons are expected to be allowed to reopen in Phase Two.

If you have received a haircut in a Kingston barbershop in the last three weeks, please contact your doctor for testing or call the Ulster County COVID-19 hotline at (845) 443-8888.

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