Citing the continued rapid increase of local COVID-19 cases, Warren County is hiring a professional service to conduct illness investigation and contact tracing.
The agency, Maximus Federal, is …
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Citing the continued rapid increase of local COVID-19 cases, Warren County is hiring a professional service to conduct illness investigation and contact tracing.
The agency, Maximus Federal, is a contractor vetted by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services to perform the contact tracing, according to the Warren County Health Department. The agency will begin work here on Dec. 7.
“Maximus Federal is providing these same services for multiple other counties in our region and across the state,” the Warren County Health Department said on Monday.
The move is a reflection of Warren County’s continued status as one of the areas at “extreme risk,” according to the state health department.
Local health officials said 723 new cases of COVID-19 were located in Warren County in November, almost doubling the total number of cases detected this year. There have been 10 COVID-related deaths, all of which happened since the end of September.
“Wearing a mask, social distancing, and proper hand hygiene remain the three major COVID-19 mitigation strategies,” the health department said in a statement issued Monday. Other key health guidelines include:
Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and the Missouri National Guard will conduct free community COVID-19 testing on Dec. 11, noon to 6 p.m. at the Warren County Fairgrounds. You do not need to be a Warren County resident to participate.
You can call 877-435-8411 to preregister a time to be tested, or go online to health.mo.gov/communitytest.
The Warren County Fairgrounds are located at 615 Fairgrounds Road in Warrenton.
The Warren County Health Department has not adopted new guidelines recently issued by the state regarding school quarantines, local health officials said on Monday.
The new state guidance would allow close contacts of confirmed COVID cases to continue to attend school, as long as everyone involved was properly wearing a mask. Sick students and those who show symptoms would still be kept at home.
“These guidelines are not in alignment with the current CDC recommendations and evidence. These guidelines could reduce the effectiveness of one of our best mitigation strategies to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our community – especially at this time of increased cases,” the county health department said.
