Two confirmed COVID-19 cases in Garfield County

POMEROY––Garfield County’s two confirmed cases of the COVID-19 virus have had little and no contact in the community, are both doing well, and are being isolated at home or out of the county, reported Garfield County Health District Administrator Martha Lanman to Garfield County Commissioners (BOCC) at the Health District’s regular monthly meeting, July 20, 2020.

The first case was reported July 9 and involved an individual over 50 years of age who recovered at home. The second positive test was received at Public Health on July 14 regarding an individual under 50 who had been traveling out of the county and had not returned to the county at the time it was reported to Public Health. That individual planned to isolate out of Garfield County, the County Health District reported.

Contact tracing of the initial case, the County Health District reports, indicates that the probability of contact with local businesses to be low or nonexistent.

The regulations for Phase 3 of the Governor’s Safe Start plan have changed, Lanman said. The maximum number of people, outside of your household, in a gathering is 10. The regulations for public pools is being reviewed, and most likely will have some changes to the number of people allowed in the pool at one time. However, no changes have been made regarding the operations of restaurants or places of worship. She added that there is no timeline being offered for applying to advance to Phase 4 at this time, and no guidelines for Phase 4 have been made available. The number of COVID-19 tests are increasing, however some of those tests have been generated due to the requirement for preparation for surgeries.

Deputy Jim Nelson asked Lanman about the Corps of Engineers (COE) opening the Dunes for recreation. Lanman stated that it is a federally owned property, so they have the right to open the area; however, it is subject to the limitation of gatherings of 10 or less people.

Resolution 2020-20 was approved by the BOCC, which is for the Review and Approval of Emergency Housing Contracts to be utilized by the Department of Health for COVID-19 quarantining. This resolution extends those contracts to August 14, 2020.

The Health District has been working hard with the school district to form re-opening guidelines to keep students and staff as safe as possible. Lanman stated that the Health District still has sufficient federal and state COVID-19 funding, and they have two years to spend it. More COVID-19 funding has been given through a grant from The Southeast Washington Alliance for Health, giving Garfield County an additional $30,000. Also, Foundational Public Health Services will pay the salary and training for a newly hired nurse, Jackie Tetrick, who is being shared with Columbia County.

The Health District is currently seeking a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) grant for nutritional education in the school. Final approval is expected in September. It is a three-year grant of $13,500 per year. The Free Breakfast and Lunch Program is currently going strong through service at the Nazarene Church. And Kathy Feider, a long-term volunteer with the School Backpack Program, continues to distribute the backpacks to students with weekend food supplies.

The next meeting of the Garfield County Health District will be August 24, 2020, at 10 a.m., included on the agenda of the BOCC meeting that day, at the courthouse.