SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — During his daily 3 p.m. coronavirus update, Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon announced that there are now 81 cases of COVID-19 in the county, which is a 35 percent increase from Tuesday.

That number is up from 60 cases on Tuesday. This jump was expected for some days as various test results from different labs come in at different times.

However, McMahon sternly stated the importance of social distancing and quarantine. The stigma that COVID-19 is only an issue for older people is a mistake. 41% of those who test positive are under 40 years old.

“We really need people in this demo to reflect on their behavior,” said McMahon. He sites people traveling to New York City, a hotspot for the virus, and people not adhering to quarantine restrictions.

If you get tested for coronavirus, you need to be quarantined until you receive results. The County Executive emphasized violating isolation rules is against the law. “If you break a quarantine and you put the rest of the public at risk, you will face charges.”

McMahon was also joined by City of Syracuse’s Mayor Ben Walsh to announce the enactment of an Economic Resiliency Task Force to help guide community businesses and nonprofits through the COVID-19 pandemic and plan for economic recovery.

The city and county have partnered with CenterState CEO and the Manufacturers Association of CNY.

The eight-member Economic Resiliency Task Force will devise strategies to help businesses continue operations and plan for the recovery of the local economy focusing on four stages: assess, respond, mitigate, and recover.

It will draw on the resources and expertise of a “working team” made up of staff from the City’s Department of Neighborhood and Business Development; the County’s Office of Economic Development; CenterState CEO; MACNY; the Downtown Committee; Visit Syracuse; New York State Empire State Development; the U.S. Small Business Administration; and the Central New York International Business Alliance.

“The pace at which many of our businesses and their employees experienced a downturn is staggering. The impact has been crippling to too many already,” said Walsh. “We need to respond equally fast with support to help them continue operations in the face of great change. We also need to make a plan now for how Syracuse and Onondaga County are prepared to exit the pandemic and kick our economy back into high gear.”

“Our community already knew what the meaning of ‘all in this together’ is about, and that has helped us respond more effectively to the health threat of the coronavirus,” said McMahon. “We will direct that same energy and commitment into supporting our business community. Our economy has been on the upswing, and with the right action and planning now, we can continue that trajectory as COVID-19 recedes.”

Community support will play a major role in the economic rebound, which was echoed by Randy Wolken, president and CEO of MACNY, and Andrew Fish, senior vice president, business development of CenterState CEO.