VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – The following are some questions that people have been wondering about especially related to masks and the economy. Check out the answers.
1. The CDC just last week came out with a fact sheet on the relationship of masks and protecting the economy. Are they related? The new CDC brief says that increasing universal mask wearing by 15% could reduce economic losses by up to $1 Trillion! So we are now learning that wearing a face mask does MANY things…it protects others from catching the virus, and it protects the wearer, but it even helps the economy! So the bottom line is that the more people who wear masks in a community, the less the virus will spread and the better we can keep our economy.
2. Are masks and sanitizer available free to businesses in Valley City? In the coming couple weeks you will see people from City County Health walk around to various businesses here in Valley City carrying masks and hand sanitizer. And we at City County Health District want to make it as easy as possible for all our store owners and the folks in Barnes County to wear a mask and have hand sanitizer available in all stores. So our Barnes County Health Officer, Dr. James Buhr, and volunteer Dr. Madeline Luke and CCHD board member Sharon Buhr are taking FREE KITS, with masks and hand sanitizer to as many of the businesses as we can. Should we miss your business, please give us a call at 845-8518 and we will bring your business a kit and posters that read: SAFE TOGETHER-WEAR A MASK. When shoppers see this sign (SAFE TOGETHER) it is a reminder that masks are required inside and they can have a sense of confidence and safety about entering that store. If a shopper does not enter the store wearing a mask, someone from that store will invite the shopper to put on a mask which will be located in the front of the store.
3. Is it true that Valley City now has a mask mandate? Yes. A little over a week ago (November 6) our Valley City Commission voted to sign an Emergency Order to update the City Mask Plan to be in accordance with an increase in our risk level related to COVID-19. And on November 13 the state issued a mask mandate.
The number of people getting COVID-19 and dying from it has risen sharply these past few weeks with people getting covid in North Dakota hovering around 1000 per day or more. It was very important for our city commission to make this Emergency Order.
The Mask Plan requires people in Valley City (and in the state) to wear a face covering over their mouth and nose in buildings and outdoor settings where they may encounter people outside of their household and where social distancing of six feet of more cannot be assured.
The Mask Plan also requires businesses to follow the ND Smart Restart guidelines, which limit customers in their establishments to 25% capacity with a maximum of 50 people in a room or confined space.
4. Will wearing masks help other sectors of our area? Absolutely. We definitely want to keep our kids going to school, and going to college. And wearing masks will generally keep the number of covid cases down across all age groups.
Recently a survey of all the teachers in North Dakota was taken, both in the east and the west., and the teachers overwhelmingly identified that they need the help of the ENTIRE community to slow the spread of COVID-19, in order to keep COVID down and the kids going to school. This translates to the following:
1. Wear a mask when in public…anywhere in public
2. Stay 6 feel away from people you would visit with, even with a mask
3. Use hand sanitizer often!
5. What is City County Health District’s role related to COVID-19 here in Barnes County? City County Health District is tasked with keeping our citizens safe. In times of emergencies such as this we become part of a greater plan starting at the federal level and moving down to the state and then to our county. City County Health is designated as the EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER for our county, and Theresa Will, the CCHD administrator, is the incident commander for emergency operations.
This is a heavy responsibility ( as you know we are talking about many people dying if we don’t follow the guidelines) We hope that everyone will support the guidelines that we are providing to the community:
1. Wear a mask when in public…anywhere in public
2. Stay 6 feel away from people you would visit with, even with a mask
3. Use hand sanitizer often!
So let’s all be SAFE TOGETHER…WEAR A MASK.
For more information on COVID-19 go to www.health.nd.gov and click on coronavirus (more information) or call their hotline at 1-866-207-2880 or contact City County Health District about any concerns or needs that you may have (845-8518). If you or your family would need a cloth mask, they can be obtained at City County Health District.
This article comes to you from the City County Health District.