Stephens County active case count fluctuates

Stephens County has seen a week of fluctuation in active cases of the COVID-19 virus.

As of Friday, November 13, the active case count was at 46 after fluctuating over the week. On Monday, November 9, five individuals were moved to recovered as Stephens County began to see a decrease in local community cases.

On Tuesday, November 10, Stephens County continued to see a decrease in testing and positive cases although a new individual was added to the COVID-related hospitalization list. Active case count continued to decrease on Wednesday, November 11, moving to 37 but increased by five active cases (42) on Thursday, November 12.

The final case count as of Friday, November 13, saw another increase of four, bringing the total count to 46.

Over the past weeks, Stephens County’s active case count increased as the county reported the fifth death. The additional death count occurred during the Thursday, October 29, daily update by Stephens Memorial Hospital.

Stephens County moved from 53 active cases as of Monday, November 2 to 47 active cases as of Friday, November 6, moving a few individuals to the recovery list.

The county increased in active cases and hospitalizations of the COVID-19 virus over the past few weeks, although citizens hospitalized with COVID-19 is at one individual within the county.

After beginning at just nine active cases on Monday, September 28 and Tuesday, September 29. COVID-19 cases dramatically increased on Wednesday, September 30, moving to 13 active cases, and by Friday, October 2, COVID-19 cases reached 18.

An increase continued over that weekend, and by Sunday, October 4, Stephens County saw 23 active cases. The week of October 5, saw another fluctuation of cases as a few citizens were added as active cases, and others were moved to the recovered list but remained with COVID symptoms.

The county saw a substantial increase for Friday, October 16, adding 13 new cases putting the total at 46 active cases, and continues to see an increase with a total of 55 active cases as of Friday, October 23.

Active case count reached 58 active cases on Tuesday, October 27, but started to decline to reach 51 active cases on Thursday, October 29. The final week’s total was 49 active cases as of Friday, October 30.

Although a decrease, Stephens County will stay at Stage 5 of the restrictions category, the county’s highest-ranking since Monday, July 20.

Stage 5 of the community health plan will require face coverings per GA-29 when inside a commercial entity or when outdoors, and social distancing isn’t feasible.

The plan will also require shelter in place for all highrisk community members. Travel outside of Stephens County will be strongly discouraged. The increase of active cases moved Stephens County off the exempt last week, per Governor Greg Abbott’s mask order in GA-29.

“NOW, THEREFORE, I, Greg Abbott, Governor of Texas, by virtue of the power and authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the State of Texas, do hereby order the following on a statewide basis effective at 12:01 p.m. on July 3, 2020:

Every person in Texas shall wear a face covering over the nose and mouth when inside a commercial entity or other building or space open to the public, or when in an outdoor public space. Wherever it is not feasible to maintain six feet of social distancing from another person not in the same household; provided, however, that this face-covering requirement does not apply to the following:

1. any person younger than 10 years of age;

2. any person with a medical condition or disability that prevents wearing a face covering.

3. Any person while the person is consuming food or drink, or is seated at a restaurant to eat or drink;

4. any person while the person is (a) exercising outdoors or engaging in physical activity outdoors, and (b) maintaining a safe distance from other people not in the same household;

5. Any person while the person is driving alone or with passengers who are part of the same household as the driver;

6. any person obtaining a service that requires temporary removal of the face-covering for security surveillance, screening, or a need for specific access to the face, such as while visiting a bank or while obtaining a personal- care service involving the face, but only to the extent necessary for the temporary removal;

7. any person while the person is in a swimming pool, lake, or similar body of water;

8. any person who is voting, assisting a voter, serving as a poll watcher, or actively administering an election, but wearing a face-covering is strongly encouraged;

9. any person who is actively providing or obtaining access to religious worship, but wearing a face-covering is strongly encouraged;

10. any person while the person is giving a speech for broadcast or to an audience.

The Breckenridge American will continue to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic.