Health leaders make COVID appeal

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Health leaders make COVID appeal

Fri, 11/20/2020 - 03:27
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RICHMOND – Health department leaders in Ray and Clay counties joined others in the metro area to ask the public to help prevent COVID-19’s spread.

“Our community is at a critical point again with uncontrolled community spread,” they stated jointly. “Our local governments and public health authorities need to take actions aimed at controlling the further spread of the disease.”

They ask metro-area residents consider doing the following...

Avoid in-person contact: Those who can should work from home, conduct business virtually and provide curbside service to keep customers outside. Home is the safest place.

Wear masks: Trusting friends is not the issue. Precautions are a matter of kindness and a safety issue.

Avoid gatherings: “To help our residents stay connected while limiting the threat of large outbreaks, we ask everyone to identify a small group of under 10 people that you come in regular contact with. That could be your family or perhaps another household or two that you regularly interact with. It could be close friends or colleagues. We ask that you limit your personal interactions to this group. When you see members of your group, please continue to social distance and wear masks. If any member of your group gets sick or tests positive, that person must alert everyone in the group, immediately, so that they can quarantine and get a test. In other words, each group must do its own contact tracing. Why? Because of the extremely high number of new cases, some local health departments must prioritize their contact tracing to focus on the most vulnerable people. That might not be you or your friends.”

Self-quarantine: “If you have participated in a gathering – such as a wedding, a party or a funeral – or if you have traveled to see others, it is our strong recommendation that you immediately self-quarantine for 14 days. This will limit the risk of transmitting COVID-19 to others. No gatherings are safe. This cannot be emphasized enough. There are not enough protections that can be in place for weddings, services, events, festivals or a party in your own backyard that will keep people you love safe from COVID-19. We ask that you go virtual with these gatherings or wait.”

Remember hands, face, space: “Now, more than ever, remember this: hands, face and space. Wash your hands regularly, cover your face with a mask and keep 6 feet of space between yourself and others.”

COVID CONTROL

Health leaders say there should be six measures taken to control the spread of COVID-19:

• Continue consistent mask mandates for all activities outside the home and broaden enforcement;

• Limit social or other in-person gatherings;

• Require bars/restaurants to close by 10 p.m. and/or implement greater indoor/outdoor occupancy limits;

•Further limit outdoor/indoor entertainment venues;

• Place requirements on recreational and youth sporting events to significantly limit the number of attendees and ensure social distancing; and

• Require businesses/organizations to ensure 6 feet of social distancing for all public spaces.