11/25/2020 2:43:00 PM County board chair offers COVID reminder
The number of COVID cases in Cottonwood County is rising rapidly. It is becoming apparent that as a society we are becoming too relaxed about taking protective measures, or the measures we have taken need to be refined. The Cottonwood County Board of Commissioners have a few points that the group would like to remind its citizens of in an effort to limit their exposure to COVID-19. Wear a mask in public places. Masks are not only there to prevent you from getting sick, but masks protect others as well. Nobody knows a person's vulnerability to this virus. Someone may appear strong, fit and healthy. However, there are some individuals who may have weak or suppressed immune systems, which nobody would ever realize by looking at them. We should do our part to protect ourselves as well as other people. When at work, stagger breaks and always limit gathering and mingling. For contact tracing, COVID-positive individuals are asked who they have been with for more than 15 cumulative minutes, regardless of masks. Pay attention to how long you are around an individual, whether at work or not as anyone could be asymptomatic and not know. Continue to wash your hands frequently for a minimum of 20 seconds, maintain a social distance of six feet or more and disinfect common touch areas like door handles and counters in your workspace, office and home. Lastly, if we are all going to have to contract this virus at some point, let's not all have it at the same time and overwhelm our local and regional health systems. We have heard that many of the region's large hospitals are reaching capacity. This means that not only may there not be enough beds for COVID-19 patients, but also people with other medical emergencies. We should do what we can to prolong exposure as much as possible. - Kevin Stevens, Chairman of Cottonwood County Commissioners
