COVID-19 Exposure at Hudson Valley Restaurant, Church

A popular Hudson Valley restaurant is closed after an employee tested positive for COVID-19. Some churchgoers are also told to quarantine for 14 days after a priest contracted the virus.

Late Thursday, Sullivan County Public Health Services alerted anyone who visited Paesano’s Pizzeria on Main Street in Liberty on August 25, 26, or 27 that they may have been exposed to someone who was actively contagious with COVID-19 and should contact Public Health Services at 845-292-5910.

As of Thursday, there are seven active cases of COVID-19 associated with the pizzeria, two of which are also connected to exposures at Nelly’s Sports Bar at 456 Broadway in Monticello, officials say. It appears from the investigation that employees and customers may not have been wearing masks consistently or maintaining a 6-foot distance from others, according to the Sullivan County Public Health Services.

“Staff are working hard to identify if there have been any additional cases or community spread as a result of these two clusters. If you have visited either of these locations on the dates in question, please monitor yourself for symptoms and contact us,” stated Nancy McGraw, Public Health Director.

Paesano’s voluntarily closed on August 28 and will remain closed at least until September 8 after an inspection by the NYS Department of Health District Office in Monticello.

"It had come to our attention that one of our employees had been exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID 19. As a precaution, we closed immediately and recommended that him and the rest of our employees, including ourselves, get tested. Unfortunately, we recently received the results of the tests and a few of our employees tested positive. We have been in contact with the Department of Health everyday. Our #1 priority is the health and safety of our staff and customers. We will remain closed until everyone has fully recovered and/or quarantined for the recommended 14 days. We will keep you updated on when we will re-open. Thank you for understanding," Paesanos Pizzeria wrote on Facebook.

In Westchester County, officials are telling churchgoers to quarantine after a priest and staff member at Holy Innocents Catholic Church on Bedford Road in Pleasantville tested positive for COVID-19.

Anyone who attended the following services must quarantine, as required by the New York State Department of Health, for 14 days from that last visit to the Church during these days:

• August 24 – Morning Mass
• August 25 – Morning Mass
• August 29 – First Communion Ceremonies
• August 30 – All Masses, Except for the 9 a.m. Mass

Officials add anyone who attended any of the above services must quarantine for 14 days regardless of a negative COVID-19 test.