Lawrence County, OH officials continued on Thursday to urge its citizens to follow health and safety guidelines in the wake of today’s state-led announcement that the county is considered a higher risk level, pointing to the severity of exposure and spread.  Deanna Holliday, President of the Lawrence County Board of Commissioners, received word from the Governor’s Office that Lawrence County would be designated at a higher COVID risk level because the county exceeded several health indicators.

In a prepared release, Deanna Holliday said, “This afternoon, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced in a press conference that Lawrence County has joined a growing list of counties in Ohio designated as a Level 3 Public Health Emergency.  In the continuing COVID-19 pandemic in Ohio, a Level 3 is defined as “very high exposure and spread”.  As of today, 23 Ohio Counties are designated as Level 3”, she said.   According to Holliday, county elected officials, health officials and emergency leaders have been working very hard to stem the growing number of positive cases by continually pushing out information about how to slow the spread of the disease.  “We in Lawrence County have implored our citizens to follow recommended measures to keep our citizens safe and healthy during the pandemic – including wearing protective masks and practicing proper social distancing,” she said.  “To mitigate exposures and spread in the days ahead, we urge people of all ages to embrace and be committed to practicing preventative measures,” she added.

Ohio recently enacted a four-tiered system of “County Risk Level Alerts” wherein counties meeting or exceeding certain indicators are designated at risk levels, with the least risk to the highest risk being: Level 1 (yellow – active exposure and spread); 2 (orange – increased exposure and spread); 3 (red – very high exposure and spread); or 4 (purple – severe exposure and spread).  Recent increases in COVID positives within the county’s daily assessments met the indicators: New Cases Per Capita; Sustained Increase in New Cases; Proportion of Cases Not Congregate Cases and Sustained Increase in Outpatient Visits.

Georgia Dillon, Health Commissioner stated that the designation as a Risk Level 3 Public Health Emergency is not welcomed news at all. “We all are in this together,” she said.  “People need to accept responsibility for not only their own

health but for the health of their family members or those they might come into contact with on a daily basis.” Lawrence County has recorded a very steep and steady increase in positive cases in the past three weeks according to Dillon.   “We have seen outbreaks as a result of organized events such as weddings, family events, social gatherings in bars, church events and at other non-congregate settings.  Our numbers of positive cases show that we need to make some better health and safety choices in Lawrence County. We want to avoid moving up to the highest risk level,” she added.

According to Lance D. Himes, Interim Director of the Ohio Department of Health, this is the first week that Lawrence County is being designated at a Risk Level 3. “During the past 14 days, 74 COVID-19 cases have been identified which represents 46% of the total number of cases since the beginning of the pandemic.  This means the county exceeds the “high incidence” category, for COVID cases, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since July 1, Lawrence County’s COVID-19 average daily cases increased from 1 case to nearly 8 cases by July 14,” said Himes.  “Due to clinical and reporting lags, these numbers may continue to grow for this reporting period,” he said.  Further assessment shows that Lawrence County is also seeing an increase in the number of people seeking medical care due to COVID-19 in outpatient settings.  “Between July 1 and July 16, average outpatient visits grew from 3 to 7 visits per day.  In recent weeks, nearly all of the cases are not in congregate settings, signaling significant transmission in the broader community,” said Himes.

Increases in COVID cases negatively impacts and challenges our Lawrence County community in many different ways, according to Commissioner DeAnna Holiday.  “From individuals and families being ill, to communities canceling scheduled events, to schools trying to navigate through the required educational process, to increased risks for our emergency first responders, to governments on all levels having to adjust the way they serve the people, this pandemic has certainly taken a toll on many areas of life.  We want Lawrence County to stay open for business, and the only way we can successfully accomplish this is to renew our daily commitment to keep ourselves and our families healthy and safe.  We have already experienced the negative effects of a shut-down, and we do not want to go through that experience ever again,” she said.

For additional information contact:

Michael L. Boster

Lawrence County Emergency Management Agency

Office 740-533-4375