AUGUST 31, 2020 UPDATE
The Greater Greenbrier COVID-19 Task Force met this morning via conference call and reports the following information.
HEALTH DEPARTMENT.
Greenbrier County has 109 total positive cases, 3 suspect cases, 97 recovered cases, 9 active cases, 1 hospitalized, and 3 deaths. The majority of new cases continue to be community transmission cases. (This means the virus is here, and folks are acquiring it here.) We worked with the commission to purchase a sanitization unit which schools can use if needed. Please wear a mask, socially distance, and wash your hands to prevent the spread of the virus.
COVID19 TESTS continue to be available at MedExpress, Rainelle Medical, and Robert C. Byrd Clinic daily.
COLLEGE STUDENTS who test positive are counted in the county where they live full-time. For example, if a student from Greenbrier County tests positive as a full-time student at WVU while living in Morgantown, they count there in Mon County. If they live in Greenbrier County but commute to Concord, then they count in Greenbrier County. Last but not least, if they come home to Greenbrier County to quarantine after testing positive while enrolled at WVU, then they count here in Greenbrier.
GREENBRIER COUNTY SCHOOLS.
We are “yellow” which for now means only parents can attend extracurricular events. We will watch the trends and stay in touch with the Health Department as we continue to prepare for the opening of school next week. Every classroom teacher will be presented with a package of PPE this week including masks, hand sanitizer, gloves, and more. Each school will also have a sanitization unit. Several schools installed plexiglass in classrooms. Each school also has a designated COVID space should there be positive cases on property. As a reminder, masks are required for students returning to in-person school in Greenbrier County. Wifi hotspots will be posted this week by the school system.
SCHOOL QUESTIONS? If you are a parent or student with specific questions, please contact your principal directly.
GV MEDICAL CENTER.
Due to an uptick in cases locally, we are not opening the hospital to visitors right now as we had hoped to do. This is to keep our patients and staff as safe as possible.
RCB CLINIC. As we’re receiving lots of questions from parents about their children’s health with the return to school, our staff is doing a Facebook Live event Thursday at 7pm to answer questions. The school system will join us. In terms of testing, COVID19 testing turnaround times remain around 24-48 hours.
LONG TERM RECOVERY received some good news about grants for Alderson flooding which we are excited about! Since no federal funds are available, we are reliant exclusively on what we can raise. Stay tuned.
COMMITTEE ON AGING. We are participating in the governor’s summer feeding program. These meals (five days worth) can be picked up once a week. We also have vouchers for farmer’s markets available for seniors. If you have questions, you can call the office at 304-392-5138. We continue to provide in-home services, Meals on Wheels, and meals to go for our senior citizens. Medical transport continues as well for those we need it. The state is working on a reopening plan for seniors centers like ours, and we are awaiting that guidance.
THE HUB. Dinners continue to be available. Free for students and $5 for adults. Call ahead 304-647-4994 by noon to place your order! We are using local produce as much as possible to prepare these meals.
UNITED WAY. Our WV 211 service remains available. If you know families in need of services, please have them call us at 2-1-1.
REGIONAL CASELOADS are increasing throughout southeastern WV–Monroe, Fayette, Summers to name a few in addition to Greenbrier. You can monitor trends in caseloads by visiting the WVDHHR color coded map online. It’s updated at 10am each day. “Green” counties are showing stability. “Yellow” need to take caution as they’re increasing in cases. “Orange” begins to see restrictions. “Red” shuts down schools, nursing homes, sports, etc. What can you do to keep the county green? Wear a mask, social distance, and wash your hands. The more we follow these guidelines, the safer we all are…and the more we can enjoy in terms of school, sports, and visitations.
SMALL BUSINESS GRANTS are available for businesses with 0-35 employees. Apply via the WV Grant portal online (grants.wv.gov). Sole proprietors are eligible for $2,000 and businesses with 1-35 employees are eligible for 5,000.
Submitted by Senator Stephen Baldwin on behalf of the Task Force.
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