With Christian County’s incidence rate reaching 32.2 today — well within the critical “red zone” — state and local officials are asking businesses and community members to take several additional steps recommended to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
(A “red zone” is a county with 25 or more average daily cases per 100,000 residents, or an incidence rate of 25 or more. Christian County’s rate has exceeded this threshold for more than three weeks.)
Business owners should plan to allow employees to work from home next week, if possible, and reschedule, postpone or cancel all events. These are among the recommendations for red zone counties announced Monday by Gov. Andy Beshear.
Community members should not attend — or host — gatherings of any size. They are also asked to reduce in-person shopping and dining, avoid non-essential activities and prioritize businesses that enforce mask mandates and other safety measures.
Beshear said businesses and residents should prepare a weekly COVID-19 reduction plan based on each Thursday’s incidence rate map.
Today, that rate is 32.2, the health department announced.
(Because state calculations lag slightly behind, Hoptown Chronicle calculates the incidence rate in real-time using daily reports from the health department. In an effort to remain consistent and avoid confusion, the incidence rate reported each Thursday by the state will be used to determine if a county should follow red zone reduction recommendations, according to local health officials.)
“This is a time for a community to come together,” County Health Director Kayla Bebout said during a conference call Wednesday in response to the guidelines. “We all have to buy into this.”
City, county to follow guidance
Mayor Wendell Lynch said Wednesday that the city supports the governor’s recommendations and encouraged the rest of the community to do the same.
City and county officials on Thursday were still working out the details of which employees would be able to work virtually, but expressed support for the guidance.
City Administrator Troy Body pointed out that a shift to remote work can be more challenging on a local government level than on a state level.
“On the local level, our three main departments — fire, police and public works — they’ve just got to take an abundance of caution in how they do their jobs,” he said.
County Judge-Executive Steve Tribble echoed Body’s sentiments. Main county offices include the sheriff’s department, the county jail and the county clerk’s office, which has the huge task of overseeing next week’s unprecedented election.
Many of these departments have already been taking significant precautions, they noted.
For example, the jail has been locked down since the beginning of the pandemic, Tribble said. Body pointed out that city employees have been utilizing appropriate PPE and sanitation supplies, including the emergency personnel’s use of the Halo ambulance disinfection system.
However, non-critical local government personnel who can work remotely will do so per the state’s guidance. It will resemble a shift back to some of the measures the city and county took early on in the pandemic, Tribble and Body noted.
City to cancel events at Sportsplex
In addition to the shift to remote work for non-critical personnel, the city also plans to cancel all events at Planters Bank-Jennie Stuart Health Sportsplex, Body confirmed.
“They had worked very hard, the team out there, to come up with events that they believed would keep the kids safe,” he said, adding that local health and public safety officials had signed off on the plan. “But at that time, the numbers were going down.
“It’s unfortunate.”
City officials announced Thursday afternoon that 19th annual Hopkinsville Turkey Trot 5K will go virtual this year “in light of the pandemic and statewide recommendations regarding the outbreak of COVID-19.”
In recent years, the event has drawn more than 1,000 people downtown, according to the announcement.
Community encouraged to shop local — from a distance
Residents are asked to reduce in-person shopping and non-essential trips — for next week, at least. That doesn’t mean the community shouldn’t continue to patronize local businesses and restaurants.
“We want people to continue to shop local,” Bebout said. “If a business does not have online service, call them up and see if you could do a curbside pickup with them. We want you to continue to support our local businesses, but we wanna be able to do in a healthy manner.”
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Bebout pointed to reports from within the community of residents opting to shop at alternative locations if a business’ employees weren’t wearing masks. She also took the opportunity to remind the community that businesses are still under restrictions to operate at 50% capacity.
In addition to the red zone recommendations, the state’s Healthy at Work requirements remain in effect for public spaces, including bars, restaurants, business offices, stores, health care facilities, theaters, salons and churches. The governor’s executive order for the mask mandate and recommendations for schools are also still in effect.
(Julia Hunter is the webmaster for Hoptown Chronicle. Reach her at julia@hoptownchronicle.org.)
Julia Hunter is the engagement editor for Hoptown Chronicle. Reach her at julia@hoptownchronicle.org.
