T-L Photo/CARRI GRAHAM Harrison County Health Department Director Garen Rhome speaks to commissioners regarding recent updates with the coronavirus at Wednesday’s regularly scheduled meeting.

CADIZ — To aid in efforts to decrease the spread of the coronavirus, the Harrison County Health Department is offering local residents free cloth face masks.

Director Garen Rhome said the department partnered with a group of local residents who are aiding the community by sewing the masks and donating them to those in need.

“We have partnered with a group that has been making masks and supplying them. … If anyone wants a cloth mask … they can call the health department,” he said.

Rhome said the masks are completely free to those in need of one. The health department has a “few” of the masks on hand to give to residents but is able to get more if needed.

“We have a few in our office ready to hand out and we hope to get more. If we don’t have them (masks), we’ll get them (residents) in touch with the group that are doing it. We want to help,” he said.

The department has been encouraging people to don cloth face masks in an effort to prevent further spread of the virus when people are in public places.

“We really want to encourage people to wear the masks, cloth masks — that can be a bandana, that can be a scarf, that can be whatever it is you have,” he said.

Rhome said that because the department is encouraging people to wear the masks, the staff thought they should provide a way to help residents obtain the masks as well.

“If we’re recommending it and we’re seeing people without it, we want to at least be able to say, ‘We can help you get it,'” he said.

Rhome also said that the county still only has two positive cases. The first case was reported on April 14. The individual is a man in his 30s. The second case was reported Friday and is female in her 40s. Rhome said both individuals are now on the mend.

“They’re getting close to being what we call ‘virus recovered.'” he said.

He is hopeful both patients will be recovered soon.

Commissioners Paul Coffland, Don Bethel and Dale Norris thanked Rhome for his update.

In other news, the Harrison County Department of Job and Family Services is attempting to expand a newly implemented program. DJFS Assistant Director Deb Knight met with commissioners to request an amendment to the PRC COVID-19 Disaster Program. The program provides financial assistance to people who are unemployed due to COVID-19.

“We got additional funding from the state to address the COVID-19 disaster for families,” she said.

The county received an additional $41,000 in federal funding to aid local families. The program focuses on families with minor children who have lost their jobs amid the pandemic, providing them with up to $750 in assistance.

“That plan will assist them with rent payments, mortgage payments, car payments, car insurance, utility payments including internet and cell phones,” she said.

Knight said the department has received 10 applications thus far to the program. Six of those have been denied. Four of the six applicants were denied because the applicants did not have minor children, she said.

“There were a lot of people who did not have children and was there a way we could help them,” she said.

The department is now amending the Title 20 program to include people without children.

“We would assist with the same kind of things — rent, mortgage, utilities, car — so they would have a way to get back to work when they can,” she said.

Knight asked commissioners to approve the amendment to the Title 20 plan. Coffland made a motion to approve the amendment, Bethel seconded the motion and it was unanimously carried.

The program is being offered from April 1 through Sept. 30.