ALBANY COUNTY — “When we signed up in this uniform, it was to defend not only the country but also the state,” said Xiomara Diaz, a chaplain with the New York Army National Guard.

She is part of a strike team out of Fort Drum that is now stationed in Albany and on Monday morning was busy at the Times Union Center in Albany organizing over 19,000 pounds of food from the Regional Food Bank, to be distributed in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak here.

“We are there for the call center, to distribute food for my brothers and sisters out there … We’ll be there in the trenches for time to come,” said Diaz, concluding, “Snow, sand, rain, or epidemic, we are here.”

At his press briefing on Monday morning, Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy said the 25 Guard members would begin food distribution on Tuesday. The food will go to people under quarantine — 559 people are now under mandatory quarantine in Albany County and 223 are under precautionary quarantine, McCoy said — as well as to seniors who shouldn’t be out shopping and to “people who can’t afford food,” he said, since many are now out of work.

A reporter asked about residents being “fearful” at the sight of Guard soldiers, and McCoy, a member of the National Guard himself, said, “If anything, they should take relief.”

“They know how to get the job done … As things change, they’re there for us,” said McCoy.

Monday’s press briefing marked a shift from focusing on health and the rising toll of confirmed COVID-19 cases — there are now 199 with 15 patients hospitalized — to other county efforts to help the community.

“A lot of other needs are arising,” said Elizabeth Whalen, the county’s health commissioner.

“It takes a village, an entire community, to respond to a crisis like this … It takes a village to raise a community,” said McCoy.

In addition to the new food-distribution initiative, McCoy announced that he had requested that local industrial development agencies, IDAs, be allowed to handle applications from distressed businesses and “get money out quicker.”

McCoy said that over 25,000 people had applied to the Small Business Administration and that it is likely it will take a long time to have the applications answered. The website for small businesses to apply for disaster assistance is https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/disaster-assistance.

“People need money today,” said McCoy. He also said, “Some people live check to check, not just paying the rent but putting food on the table.”

McCoy and other county leaders sent a letter to the governor, he said, asking the governor to waive state laws to enable IDAs to make direct loans to businesses for up to $50,000.

“We have cash stranded in our IDAs and current law does not allow us to use those funds for loans and grants,” McCoy’s letter states.

His letter goes on, “Additionally, I would also ask that you permit the transfer of funds from the IDAs to affiliated Local Development Corporations for the same purpose. As you know this support is essential and needed urgently.”

“We’ll get this program rolled out quickly,” said McCoy at Monday's press briefing.

Timeline

Although the governor has extended the statewide “pause” on all nonessential businesses and gatherings, until April 15, McCoy said, “Probably the norm won’t start for a couple of months.”

Whalen noted that community testing for COVID-19 is still being conducted in New York City. “They’re talking about the apex being in a couple of weeks,” she said.

Testing in Albany County, because of a lack of test kits from the federal government, has been restricted to hospital patients and health-care workers who have been exposed to the virus.

Whalen noted that many upstate New York counties, like counties across the nation, are without enough kits to do community testing.

McCoy said, “We are figuring out the logistics” of getting more test kits for Albany County and said he would have information on that in a few days. He had said earlier that he hoped to have more test kits by Tuesday.

Whalen said her health department is continuing to work around the clock, identifying infected patients, quarantining them and their contacts, and monitoring them for symptoms.

“This remains a very active situation … We have not yet reached where we could be,” said Whalen.

“This is the foreseeable future for county residents,” Whalen concluded. “Keep your kids at home and keep your family safe.”

McCoy concluded, “How you act today, you’ll be judged tomorrow.”