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Virus count inches up

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Belmont County picked up one new positive case of COVID-19 Wednesday and is largely holding steady while preparations continue for the coming school year.

Belmont County Deputy Health Director Robert Sproul made his regular report to the board of commissioners. The commissioners and courthouse staff were strict in their observation of face mask use.

Sproul reported a total of 652 positive cases so far, with 585 recovered and 41 people active with the virus and in isolation at home.

Sproul said three people remain hospitalized with the virus, and there have been 23 coronavirus-related deaths, including nine inmates of the Belmont Correctional Institution west of St. Clairsville.

“That’s a very positive sign,” Sproul said regarding the single new case. He expects to report another group of recoveries soon.

His office is continuing to work with school districts to comply with Gov. Mike DeWine’s orders expanding masking requirements from students ages 10 and older to kindergarteners through 12th-graders.

“We’ll see how that works out. Every time we figure something out, it might get tweaked a little bit. We’ve met with the nurses in the school districts … meeting with the cafeteria workers tomorrow. We’re meeting with the public schools and the private schools,” he said.

Sproul also referred to the occurrence chart put out by DeWine Tuesday, comparing positive cases to populations of 100,000.

“We’re third from the bottom,” Sproul said. “That’s a very good thing. That’s a good sight and we want to keep it that way if we can. … You don’t want to take your foot off the throttle. We still need to wear masks. It’s setting us up for a full school year and fall sports.”

The commissioners referred a question from Richard Hord of Martins Ferry earlier in the meeting about safety concerns related to the school reopenings.

Sproul said his office was in constant contact with the school districts.

“Questions are coming up with ‘how do we do this? What do we need to do? How do we need to do it?’ we’re giving them the best information we can.”

Among the most discussed procedures is how to properly put on, remove and handle masks and how to clean them. They are also making resources available to parents.

“I think it’s going to be tough for the teachers,” Sproul said. “Especially for the younger kids. They’re going to be fiddling with their masks. They’re not used to wearing it.”

He added the Federal Emergency Management Agency will be making masks available to schools.

Sproul said there are no projections for the number of infections expected once the school year begins.

He added he hopes students exercise caution should they travel or celebrate to mark the end of summer.

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