Stephens County health officials elevate county to Stage 5 of Community Health Plan
On Sunday afternoon, Oct. 11, Stephens County Judge Michael Roach and other local health authorities enacted Stage 5 of the Community Health Plan.
Officials from the county, City of Breckenridge and Stephens Memorial Hospital met Sunday about the critical situation involving COVID-19 that has developed over the past few days.
They issued the following statement:
“As you are all aware, our local case count has risen recently. Additionally, our regional ICU capacity has been exceeded. Hospital capacity is the issue that requires that we raise our community health level to five. Please help us by using common sense!
One of the crucial roles of the local government is to inform the public of our local situation. We take this task seriously, and we humbly ask for your cooperation. Remember, with rights also come responsibilities.”
They warned local residents that if they or a loved one need to have a critical level of ICU care, a bed may not be available in the region’s hospitals.
Last week, the number of active COVID-19 cases reached 30. On Friday, a couple of patients were moved to the recovered category; as one new patient was also added, the number of active cases was at 29. Although there have been additional positive tests over the weekend, the fact that some patients have recovered has kept the number of active cases at 29 for a couple of days.
The health officials ask community members to adhere to the following health protocols:
- Wear a mask or other effective face covering
- Practice social/physical distancing (stay six feet away from people who are not your close family/household members)
- Stay home as much as possible, especially if you are sick
- Take extreme precautions for people who have underlying health conditions
The COVID-19 situation has affected several local activities, including the Stephens County Health Fair, which has been postponed; the First United Methodist Church’s annual Turkey Dinner, which has been canceled; and local fire prevention activities, which have been postponed by the Breckenridge Fire Department.
On Friday, Breckenridge Fire Chief Calvin Chaney posted the following announcement on the BFD’s Facebook page:
“Effective immediately all fire prevention activities will be suspended and all appointments will be rescheduled for another date. The recent rise in COVID-19 cases facilitates the need to protect our firefighters so we can continue to provide fire and rescue services. We are sorry that this process had to be undertaken, but, as stated above, those activities will be rescheduled and not cancelled.”
The Breckenridge Texan will share any new information as it becomes available.
