Sorry, you need to enable JavaScript to visit this website.
Article Image Alt Text

County board leaves mask mandate in place

Taking no action during its regular meeting on Monday, the Cloud County board of commissioners left in place an ordinance designed to slow the spread of COVID-19 in the area.
The ordinance, which was approved by the board on November 16, mandates the wearing of masks in public places and the enforcement of isolation and quarantine orders.
Cloud County Health Department director Brandi Bray presented a COVID-19 update to the board during the meeting, and recommended that the ordinance be continued.
“I think it is a smart decision to go ahead and re-up it for two weeks,” Bray said.
The board will review the data again in two weeks.
Bray reported to the board that there had been no new cases of COVID-19 reported in the county since last week.
Testing for COVID-19 had dropped the previous two Mondays during the holiday season.
Bray said that testing had picked back up on Monday morning.
“That makes me concerned that the virus spread over Christmas,” Bray said. “We expected that to happen.”
Bray said that the positivity rate in the county is trending downward, but it is still above where it needs to be.
There were 259 cases of COVID-19 reported in the county in December. That is after a record 416 cases were reported in November.
Bray also reported on COVID-19 vaccinations in the county.
Kansas is using a five-phase approach in administering the vaccine.
Included in phase one, which is expected to continue until the end of the month, are frontline health care workers, long term care facility staff and residents, and EMS personnel.
Bray said that the state has not yet released details for phase two.
The Health Department received 60 doses of the Moderna vaccine to distribute as a part of phase one.
Bray said that she expects that all of the Moderna vaccine will be distributed this week.
If there are unopened vials of the vaccine, and phase one has been completed in a county, those vials are to be moved to a county which is short on vaccine needed.

 

Concordia Blade-Empire

510 Washington St.
Concordia, KS 66901