LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The health department in Floyd County, Indiana, is mandating the wearing of face masks starting on Friday, or three days before a statewide mandate takes effect.
"The outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to plague our community" despite mitigation efforts, Floyd County Health Officer Dr. Thomas Harris said in a news release.
To prevent further spread, Harris, with approval of the Floyd County Board of Health, has implemented a mask mandate that takes effect at 12:01 a.m. Friday. The order will remain in effect for six weeks, until Sept. 11, but may be extended depending on the course of the pandemic.
Weekly Floyd County, Indiana, COVID-19 cases. (Courtesy of the Floyd County Health Department.)
Harris wrote that everyone must wear a facial covering over nose and mouth in indoor areas open to the public, including public transportation; private indoor or outdoor areas where people cannot maintain a distance of 6 feet from people outside their households; enclosed public spaces or places of business.
Harris is exempting some people from the order, including children 2 years old or younger, people in respiratory distress, those who are hearing impaired and need to remove facial coverings to communicate and people who have been advised, in writing, by a primary care provider not to wear a facial covering because of health concerns.
"Citizens should continue to use frequent hand washing or sanitizing; maintain a minimum social distance of six (6) feet; avoid touching the eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands; and most importantly, stay home and isolate yourself if you are sick," Harris wrote.
The health department said that it recorded 58 positive COVID-19 cases in the week from July 12 to July 18, more than double the cases it recorded the prior week, and more than triple the number it reported a week before that. In the past four weeks, cases have risen from nine to 17 to 29 to 58.
In the most recent week, 6.4% of tests came back positive, above the 5% threshold recommended by the World Health Organization.
Nearly 450 Floyd County residents have tested positive for the virus, and 44 have died.
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