The Williams County Health Department has developed community talking points in an effort to provide useful information as we work together to prevent COVID-19 spread in our community.
COVID-19 cases continue to increase in Williams County.
- Since last week, October 14th, there have been 50 new cases, 4 new hospitalizations, and 1 death.
- Williams County has remained orange (level 2) on the Ohio Public Health Advisory System for the past 4 weeks. Last Thursday, Williams County triggered 3 of the 7 indicators.
- 1 – New cases per capita – Met if there are 50 new cases per 100,000 residents in in the past 2 weeks. For Williams County’s population, this indicator is met if there are 19 cases in 2 weeks. The CDC’s indicator for high incidence is reached if there are 100 new cases per 100,000 in the past 2 weeks, or 37 new cases for Williams County.
- 2 – New cases increase – Met if increasing trend of at least 5 consecutive days in last 3 weeks.
- 3 – Non-congregate cases – Met if proportion of cases that are not in a congregate setting (ex. long-term care facilities, nursing homes, prisons) goes over 50% in at least one of the last 3 weeks. This indicator is used to measure risk of community spread.
Halloween presents an opportunity for COVID-19 to spread in our communities. While decisions for participation in Halloween activities are made by communities and individuals, precautions should be followed to curb the spread of COVID-19. Remember, if you feel sick at all, stay home.
High-Risk Activities:
Trick-or-treating:
- Always wear a mask & stay 6 ft away from people who do not live in your home. Costume masks are not a substitute for cloth masks. Instead, wear a Halloween-themed cloth mask.
- Celebrate in your community and don’t travel to other areas.
- Avoid having children select their own treats from a bowl/common container. Carry hand sanitizer and use it often, especially after contacting frequently touched surfaces and before eating candy.
- Place treats or individual goodie bags on your porch, steps or a table in the driveway, or hang treats from a wall or fence. Use creative decorations to create a buffer on your porch.
In-person Halloween parties:
- Limit attendance to 10 or fewer people and hold the event in an outdoor area where social distancing is possible.
- Bring your own food and drinks and avoid potluck style meals.
- Avoid activities, such as bobbing for apples, that foster the spread of infection.
Lower- or Moderate-Risk Activities:
- Holding costume parties or pumpkin carving events or contests online.
- Holding drive-by costume or car-decorating contests with judges who are physically distanced.
- Holding a drive-through or drive-in trick-or-treat event, with children in costume and face coverings staying in cars and collecting treats from individuals spaced at least 6 feet apart.
- Holding a Halloween scavenger hunt, giving children lists of Halloween-themed things to look for while they walk outdoors from house to house.
- Having a Halloween movie night with people you live with or outdoors with local family friends spaced at least 6 feet apart. If screaming will likely occur, greater distancing is advised.
On October 14th, Indiana was added to COVID-19 travel advisory as it reached 16% positivity, compared to Ohio’s 4.2%. Positivity rate is an indicator of how much COVID-19 there is in a community, and ODH is recommending against travel to states with high positivity.
- Those entering Ohio after travel to states reporting positive testing rates of 15% or higher for COVID-19 are advised to self-quarantine for 14 days. This is a recommendation to reduce COVID-19 spread in Ohio.
- If you work in Indiana, it is recommended by ODH to talk to your employer about work-from-home policies if possible.
- The list of states will be updated every week on Wednesday here: https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/covid-19/families-and-individuals/COVID-19-Travel-Advisory/COVID-19-Travel-Advisory
