HAVRE, Mont. (NMB) – The Hill County Health Board met virtually on Friday afternoon to provide their weekly COVID-19 update.
Health Officer Jessica Sheehy says with schools beginning to reopen, there is not an exact threshold of COVID-19 cases where they would have to be shut down, and they will be keeping a close eye on the situation.
“Is it a community spread or can you localize it to a contact? Were we able to get in there quickly enough? Is it just one team or one class, or is it the whole school, etcetera. Essentially doing weekly meetings with MSU-Northern and (Havre Public Schools), and everyone is trying to be proactive and upfront so hopefully we can prevent these situations and it doesn’t really take anybody by surprise. If teams are traveling, at this point we feel safe doing that. But if there is a point where there is a huge uptick in another county, the recommendation that week might not be to travel to that locationSo just constantly staying in touch with them and evaluating on a case-by-case basis.”
The Health Department says they are in direct contact with every school in the county.
Hill County has tested just over 1,200 individuals for COVID-19. One test is pending. This does not include surveillance testing.
Sheehy says Hill County continues primarily testing symptomatic individuals and their contacts.
As of early Friday afternoon, Hill County has reported 51 total cases of COVID-19. Six are active, 43 have recovered and two have died. There are no active COVID-19 related hospitalizations.
The next Hill County Board of Health meeting is scheduled for 1 PM on August 28th.
