Thousands of hours of overtime. Millions of dollars of accrued costs. Months without a day off.
Itâs been a long year for everyone as the weight of the pandemic has taken its toll over and over. But perhaps nobody in Tompkins County has felt the burden of a public health crisis more than the Health Department.
As of Dec. 15, the COVID response team had worked 53,756 regular hours and 7,313 overtime hours â a feat Health Director Frank Kruppa commends his team for.
âTheyâre working long hours, theyâre working without days off,â he said. âTheyâve stepped up every time weâve asked them to. Iâve taken to saying that if youâre not going to follow the guidance for any other reason, do it for them. Theyâve been working around the clock for 10 months now. They need a break.â