COVID Exposure at Newburgh 'Queer Holiday Burlesque Spectacular'

Attendees at a popular holiday show are being warned to watch for COVID symptoms.

The alert comes from Orange County health commissioner Dr. Irina Gelman. She's warning anyone who worked at or attended the Big Gay Hudson Valley event on Friday that they may have unwittingly been exposed to COVID-19.

The Hung With Care show took place at Hudson Valley Arts Live on Washington Street in Newburgh on November 26. According to the event's website, the popular annual show features a combination of burlesque, dancing, circus acts, drag, live singing, and more.

It's unclear if the person who tested positive was in attendance of the show or someone who worked at the venue, but those who at the event are being asked to monitor for symptoms of "fever, chills, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion, or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea."

The sold-out performance was just one stop on the show's tour, which also took place in Rosendale on November 27 and Albany on November 28. There's no mention of possible COVID exposures at those shows. The tour is scheduled to stop in Ithaca on Friday night.

The health commissioner made the announcement about this specific exposure but reminded residents to consider any public site in Orange County as a potential site of COVID-19 exposure, due to the current high transmission rate throughout the county. Gelman advises all residents to continue to practice safe hygiene, "such as mask-wearing, getting vaccinated, avoiding unnecessary contact with others, and practicing basic personal hygiene. That included washing hands frequently, refraining from touching your face."

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