Following is the Saline County COVID-19 update for Monday.
The Saline County Health Department has four new cases of COVID-19 to report today:
•A female in her 20’s associated with a prior positive case.
•Two males in their 20’s associated with prior positive cases.
•A male in his 30’s without known contacts.
All four individuals are isolating at home. In addition, three of the four cases had recently traveled out-of-state.
According to Health Department Director and Local Health Officer Jason Tiller, “Although we expect to see arise in cases as more people are moving about, this emphasizes that it is extremely important to exercise good judgment in using face masks and avoiding situations where social distancing is challenging. This isn’t over yet, but together we can reduce the impact of COVID-19 on the community.”
This brings the total number of cases for Saline County to 37. The Health Department is now actively monitoring seven cases who are isolated at home. While there have been two deaths in Saline County, all other cases have met the criteria necessary to be considered recovered and have been released from daily monitoring and isolation. According to the Kansas Department of Health & Environment, there are now 11,419 cases and 245 deaths statewide. This information can be found at https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/.
Saline County is currently in Phase 3 of our reopening. Phase 3 allows for all businesses, events, and activities to be open with mass gatherings limited to 50 people or less. While the County plans to move into Phase Out on Friday, June 19, this progress is at risk if case spread impacts local medical resources.
All of the previously-released guidance around hygiene precautions is important, but today we would like to highlight the importance of wearing face coverings (masks) when in public areas where it is difficult to maintain social distancing. National guidance from the Centers for Disease Control is available at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/cloth-face-cover.html.
Other measures you can take to prevent the spread of COVID-19 include:
•Stay home if you’re sick
•Maximize physical distance (6 feet or more) in public settings
•Avoid socializing with large groups
•High-risk individuals should only leave the house for essential needs
•Minimize nonessential travel
•Check-in (via phone/letter/text/email) with friends and family who are isolated
•Wash your hands frequently
Only follow official sources to obtain information: www.saline.org/coronavirus or www.kdheks.gov.