With the number of COVID-19 cases continuing to rise in the Panhandle, officials with the COVID-19 Unified Command are urging people to continue wearing masks in public settings to help limit the spread of the virus.
As of press time, there have been a total of 335 cases in the Panhandle since March 2, with a total of 5,620 tests being conducted. The breakdown is as follows: Banner County has one active case, and one recovery; Box Butte County has had three recoveries; Cheyenne County has three active cases and 17 recoveries; Dawes County has two active cases and two recoveries; Garden County has had four recoveries; Kimball County has one active case and 12 recoveries; Morrill County has 24 active cases and 26 recoveries; Scotts Bluff County has 75 active cases, 147 recoveries and three deaths; Sheridan County has eight active cases; Sioux County has had six recoveries.
Unified Command officials shared the importance of wearing masks in a press release, noting that masks limit the spread of COVID-19, which is spread by droplets, since they prevent droplets from spreading.
Officials also released an infographic, which may be viewed on the Alliance Times-Herald website, that breaks down risk levels associated with common activities. The infographic was created by Nebraska Medicine.
“Nebraska Medicine has identified coronavirus risk levels on a zero-nine scale as an important tool for gauging how risky certain activities are like walking or biking with immediate family being a zero, backyard barbeques being a four, and going to bars as the most risky being a nine. This provides important considerations as we roll into the Fourth of July weekend, heeding every precaution we can to protect ourselves and our most vulnerable,” a press release from Unified Command stated.