Mayor Walsh Updates on COVID-19 Response and New Job Opportunities during January Community Briefing

On January 13, 2022 at 1 p.m., Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh held his first community briefing of the New Year. His briefing provided updates on COVID-19 cases in the City of Syracuse and highlighted new job opportunities, winter weather operations and play, and upgrades to the tax payment system for the City Payment Center.

On COVID-19: Mayor Walsh has maintained regular contact with leaders in our local hospitals throughout the pandemic. Even as reports say the Omicron variant creates lesser illness, it has a very high transmission rate. For hospitals, this means in the cases where hospitalization is necessary the availability of beds continues to wane as more individuals become infected with COVID-19, whether that is Omicron or Delta. As of Monday, the city reported 3,841 active cases, a massive increase from the December 13, 2021 report of 567 active cases. Mayor Walsh reminds us to take the precautions we know work: wear a mask, practice social distancing, get tested and, most importantly, get vaccinated and boosted.

On job opportunities:

• Police and Fire Exams are coming up. The deadline to register for the police exam is Tuesday, January 18 and the deadline for registering for the firefighter exam is February 11. Staffing our public safety services is a critical piece of keeping our City safe.
• Pathways to Apprenticeship: Recruitment for the third class is open for Syracuse Build’s Pathways to Apprenticeship. The 11-week paid construction training will run May 2 to July 14, 2022. The deadline to apply is February 25. This program has been highly successful to city residents who are interested in careers in building and construction as it equips graduates with the physical and technical skills needed, as well as the resources and support to find employment.

On making tax payments: the City launched a new enhanced online billing and payment system for tax payments. Our City Payment Center is making it easier to handle your financial duties within the City through features like payment scheduling, lower convenience fees and the ability to pay by phone, text, GooglePay, ApplePay, PayPal or online.

On winter in Syracuse: we embrace winter in Syracuse and know how to have fun in the snow! Our Parks Department offers programs that continue to expand, like: sledding at Burnet Park and Sunnycrest Park; snowshoeing pop-ups around the city and at Sunnycrest Park, where you can also cross-country ski; skating at Clinton Square and at indoor Parks ice facilities, and more! Plus: plan before you go. Use our Winter Weather Operations Snow Plow Map to plan your commute. This tool allows our team and city residents to track which streets have been plowed in real-time.

Watch the full briefing here: https://fb.watch/axKkx8PUCZ/