News 16 March 2020

Coronavirus shutters schools

The Coronavirus COVID-19 saga took another dramatic turn Sunday night when Gov. Kim Reynolds recommended all K-12 schools close for at least four weeks.
And most school districts took Reynolds’ advice. New Hampton, Turkey Valley and Nashua-Plainfield all cancelled school on Monday while Sumner-Fredericksburg held classes until the early afternoon Monday before closing until further notice.
“This has been the craziest day of my life,” said Jay Jurrens, the New Hampton and Turkey Valley superintendent said an hour after Reynolds made her announcement. “All of a sudden, even the advice on the CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] website changed. It had said basically if you had someone diagnosed, we should close for two days and do a thorough cleaning. Now, it’s something totally different.”
It was that kind of week both in and around Chickasaw County and the nation as a whole. We are, as many health experts have put it, entering unchartered waters after a week in which politics, the stock market and even sports took a backseat to public health and the possible spreading the Coronavirus.
“I can honestly say I’ve never had a week quite like this one,” MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center Development and Public Relations Manager Jennifer Monteith. “It’s not that things are changing daily; a lot of times it’s changing hourly.”
The hospital announced visitor restrictions last week both because of the number of influenza cases in and around Chickasaw County and the potential arrival of Coronavirus.
Also:
• The Chickasaw Wellness Complex announced it will shut down to all members — including those who hold 24/7 passes — until further notice.
• A number of industries are requiring their employees to not attend any meetings with 20 or more people.
• Conveinence stores like Casey's and Kwik Star will not allow customers to use their "refill" cups for coffee or pop, although they will only charge customers the "refill" price.
• The number of diagnosed cases in Iowa as of Monday morning was 22, and two of the newer cases are from Alamakee County
• Chickasaw Connections announced on Monday morning that it will postpone a community forum set for Thursday night in Nashua.
• All spring activities of Iowa’s high school Unified Activities partners – the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union, the Iowa High School Athletic Association, the Iowa High School Music Association, and the Iowa High School Speech Association – will be prohibited through the state’s K-12 school recommended closure of four weeks.

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