Dear Mitchell County Residents,
The Mitchell County Health Department, in collaboration with the Mitchell County Medical Officer and Board of Health, will begin allowing modified quarantines for close contacts of positive COVID-19 patients if BOTH the individual who tested positive and the close contact are wearing a mask. This is in an effort to encourage the use of masks, decrease the spread of COVID-19, and continue to allow individuals who have not tested positive to work. Confirmed positive individuals will continue to be required to isolate at home. Please note, this will vary based upon each individual circumstance and the modified quarantine needs to be approved by the health department prior to doing so. A modified quarantine will allow contacts to continue to work outside of the home if necessary, but the contact must continue to quarantine when not at work. This means gatherings and events will continue to not be allowed for close contacts during the modified quarantine period.
With the modified quarantine, a business or workplace does retain the right to not allow an employee who has been identified as a close contact to come to work. Additionally, a modified quarantine will not be approved if either the positive individual or the close contact is not wearing a mask. As stated previously, modified quarantines will be situational, with the possibility of returning to full quarantines of individuals based upon the current condition in Mitchell County.
As many are aware, Mitchell County has witnessed a significant increase in cases over the last few weeks. As of Tuesday, November 10th at 5:00 p.m., Mitchell County had 33 active cases, with 102 total cases since March. We cannot stress enough the importance of washing your hands, social distancing at least 6 feet of distance or more, wear a mask, cover coughs and sneezes, monitor your health daily, and please stay home when feeling ill. If you feel you need to seek medical attention, please do so by calling your physician. Reminder, please do not arrive at the clinic or hospital prior to calling ahead.
Going into the holiday season, now is the time for everyone to please do your part ensure the health and safety of our community, including our vulnerable populations. We want to thank our community members for their continued diligence in preventing the spread of infection and patience moving forward.
Sincerely,
Cortney Murrow, Administrator
Mitchell County Health Department
