‘Go to work, go home’: County issues shelter-in-place order

The Perry County Commission on Tuesday issued an advisory calling on all county residents to “shelter in place” in response to news of a second confirmed case of COVID-19 in the county, in addition to the possibility of several more in coming days.
“With our county’s second confirmed COVID-19 case just yesterday, the county commission is now advising all residents of Perry County, with the exception of critical infrastructure employees, to shelter in place for their protection,” said presiding commissioner Mike Sauer in a video statement broadcast on social media. “In fact, this simple action will help protect our entire community.”
The advisory, which became an order Wednesday, went into effect at 12:01 a.m. Thursday and will continue indefinitely. According to Sauer, it will be reviewed on April 2.
Under the shelter-in-place or "stay-at-home" order, residents are asked to limit themselves to essential trips, such as obtaining groceries and medicine or going to work, and to avoid gatherings of any size.
“When this pandemic is over, we may never know if we made the right choice by asking our citizens to take these extreme measures in the name of public safety, but we will know for certain if we weren’t cautious enough,” Sauer said. “We have the full cooperation of leadership from every corner of this county and we are working together to stay ahead and keep our citizens safe.”
In Tuesday's video statement, Sauer was joined at Perryville City Hall by Perry County Health Department director Sylvia Forester, Perry County Memorial Hospital CEO Patrick Carron and Perryville Mayor Ken Baer.
“Everyone must understand, this is a very contagious and deadly virus,” Baer said. “We must all do our part to defeat it. Three years ago, we came together as a great community to recover from a devastating tornado. We all worked together — friend helping friend, neighbor helping neighbor, citizens helping citizens. We recovered in a very short time. Today, at this moment of trial, we must again work together.”
Boyd France, the acting president of the Frohna village board, and Altenburg Mayor Daniel Foster, who were not in attendance, offered their support by way of a joint statement, saying, “COVID-19 has been spreading throughout the world and has now found its way to our doorstep. People of all ages have been adversely affected from this virus and it appears that no one particular group is immune from its complications. It is of the utmost importance that we all do our part to reduce the spreading of this virus by distancing from one another, and following the guidelines set forth by the CDC.”
County officials stressed that the shelter-in-place order was not a “lockdown.” Residents may leave home if necessary, to obtain groceries or medicine or go to work, but are encouraged to limit their trips while following guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which include washing their hands, keeping at least 6 feet of distance between people and avoiding social gatherings.

“We must all join the battle, and the plan is simple,” Baer said. “Stay at home if possible.”
Forester said that investigation into further investigation had led to even more possible cases.
“So far, our investigation has revealed six close contacts who have been approved for testing through the Missouri State Public Health Lab, some of which are health care professionals,” Forester said. “As of yesterday, the Perry County Health Department is aware of 13 individuals awaiting test results. This does not include the additional six we have identified.”
Carron, meanwhile, outlined the steps PCMH is taking to help diagnose and treat infected persons, including the opening of an acute respiratory infection clinic on the hospital’s campus. The clinic, which opened Monday, is located in Building A across from the emergency room entrance, and is isolated from the rest of the building. Appointments to the clinic are by referral only.
In addition, Carron said the hospital has been closed to visitors and all non-patient activity.
Tuesday’s order came in the wake of a previous order declaring a state of emergency in Perry County. That order activated the county’s Emergency Operations Center and mandated the closing of all food establishments, bars and taverns to indoor service, while encouraging them to offer service to the public using delivery, drive-through or curbside service as every such person involved implements appropriate precautions.
“We are working closely with the Perry County Health Department, City of Perryville and Emergency Management to make informed decisions to keep our community safe, “ Sauer said in Sunday’s statement. “We are listening to the health department, and implementing the recommendations of the Department of Health and Senior Services and Gov. Parson’s office.”
On Tuesday, Sauer offered his own recommendation.
“Go to work and go home.”