Stephens County COVID-19 cases spike; moves county to high restrictions category

As of Saturday, October 3, Stephens County has moved to the high restriction (stage 4) category of the community health plan. This comes after a week where cases around the county saw a dramatic spike in COVID-19 cases.

Stage 4, of the community health plan, requires face masks for everyone, though non-enforced by law, proper hand-washing hygiene, and staying home with no unnecessary traveling.

After starting at just nine active cases on Monday, Sept. 28 and Tuesday, Sept. 29, COVID-19 cases began to dramatically increase on Wednesday, Sept. 30, moving to 13 active cases, and by Friday, Oct. 2, COVID-19 cases reached 18. Cases continued to increase over the weekend, and by Sunday, Oct. 4, COVID-19 cases were at 23 active cases.

The increase of active cases moves Stephens County off the exempt listing from 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 house hold 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 increase in the restrictions category is the highest-ranking in the county since Stage 5 was issued on Monday, July 20.

If cases continue to increase, the county will be forced to move to emergency restrictions (stage 5) of the community health plan to control the virus.

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 high-risk community members.Travel outside of Stephens County will be strongly discouraged.

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