JCCHS Issues Public Health Advisory
This article contains information provided by Kerri Lewis, Community Outreach Coordinator for the Johnson County Community Health Services.
With the novel coronavirus disease still prevalent in Johnson County, the Johnson County Public Health Officer and the Johnson County Community Health Services Board of Trustees have issued a county-wide Public Health Advisory, replacing the Face Covering Order at 12:01 a.m. beginning Monday, Sept. 14, 2020.
The Public Health Advisory will stay in place until the state emergency within the State of Missouri is retracted, or until deemed necessary to replace with additional forms of safety precautions.
The advisory, in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines and the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS), strongly recommends each individual within Johnson County take safety precautions, specifically wearing face coverings in public to mitigate the risk and slow the spread of COVID-19.
Individual Recommendations:
- Individuals are strongly encouraged to wear a face covering when in a public setting (including but not limited to grocery stores, pharmacies, businesses/organizations, place of worship, gym, community centers, libraries, schools, taxis, buses); and
- Wear a face covering anytime when social distancing measures are difficult to maintain; and
- Maintain a safe distance of at least 6-feet from others; and
- Avoid parties and social gatherings involving anyone from outside the immediate household; and
- Other measure such as hand washing and cleaning/disinfecting frequently touched surfaces.
Business/Organizations Recommendations:
- All public locations are encouraged to implement specific safety precautions to continue mitigating the risk to employees and visitors.
- Strongly encourage all employees to wear face coverings; and
- Strongly encourage visitors to wear face coverings upon entry; and
- Encourage face coverings to continue to be worn, especially when social distancing cannot be maintained; and
- Allow for social distancing; and
- Limit group gatherings as is possible.
The goal is to reduce the positive COVID-19 cases in Johnson County.
Best practice recommendations state that individuals should wear face coverings in public settings when around people outside of their household, especially when social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.
Face coverings help prevent individuals who have COVID-19 from spreading the virus to others, and are most likely to reduce the spread of COVID-19 when they are widely used by individuals in public settings. A face covering should not replace social distancing, but used as an additional layer of protection.
To view the official Public Health Advisory document, visit https://bit.ly/3bPnqCI.
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