PCHC: Update on End of Public Health Orders

This article is provided from a press release by JoAnn Martin, MSN, RN, CPNP,  Administrator of the Pettis County Health Center.

As of June 16, 2020 the State and County Public Health orders will expire.  Missouri may be open for business and the public health order has expired, but the virus does not care.  Coronavirus is still circulating in our county and our area. New cases were reported today.  If a person who has not had the virus comes in contact with a person who is ill then the virus will infect another person.   At this time the replication rate for the virus remains around 1 meaning every person who is ill will spread the virus to one other person.

Everyone has a responsibility to slow the spread of the virus.  Businesses have a responsibility to provide as low risk environment as possible for employees and customers.  This means there is still the need for social distancing (staying 6 feet away from those who do not live in your household), wearing masks, frequent hand washing or sanitizing, and above all staying home if you are ill.   Calling someone to notify them of a positive test result and finding the person out shopping causes significant concern.   The other critical component to creating a lower risk environment is having people who are positive be honest when the staff from the Health Center calls.  Telling the staff member where you have been and who you have been with does not get anyone in trouble but it does allow us to narrow the number of people who need to be placed in quarantine and isolation rather than having to create community wide restrictions.

There is a plan for returning to restrictions – the hope is that there will never be a need to use the plan.  The plan is based on a combination of number of new cases, the ability of the hospital and health care providers to care for everyone who needs care, the availability of personal protection equipment and continuing to have enough testing to monitor the status of the county.   The best way to keep restrictions to a minimum is to follow the guidelines so we can all return to something that looks like normal.

For additional questions, contact the Pettis County Health Center at 660-827-1130.