Lake County Declares State Of Emergency: COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Media Releases

i Mar 11th w No Comments x by Jackson Leon

Hear BJ Kohlstedt, Lake County Emergency Manager, on the outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19):

Measures that our agencies, public officials and every one of us can do to protect ourselves and public health in our area.

KTWH will pass along updates and recommendations as received from Lake County Emergency Management. We suggest that you monitor online the following sites for updates on COVID-19 and information about protecting yourself and others:

MN Department of Health: https://www.health.state.mn.us/

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/

World Health Organization: https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus

To track the country by country COVID-19 confirmed cases and illness outcome figures, with continuous updates, you may want to visit a site developed by a 17 year old Washington state coder: https://ncov2019.live/

CLICK HERE to view the emergency management updates from Lake County https://www.co.lake.mn.us/departments/emergency_management/situation_updates.php

See the latest updates from Lake County starting with the most recent:

March 19, 2020

Media Release Lake County COVID Update 3.19.20

Lake County Declares State of Emergency; Closes County Offices to the Public

by Lake County Administrator, Matt Huddleston

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 19, 2020

The Lake County Board of Commissioners held an Emergency Board Meeting today. At the 9:00 a.m. meeting, the Board unanimously approved a resolution declaring a State of Emergency for conditions resulting from the COVID-19 outbreak. In addition, the Board approved three resolutions as follows:

closing all Lake County offices to the public effective March 19, 2020 at 4:30 p.m. until further notice;
delegating authority to the County Administrator to allow county staff to work remotely when and where feasible during the emergency; and
allowing county staff to utilize paid leave in certain circumstances during the emergency.

While county offices will be closed to the public, the county will remain open for business. Services will be provided to the community by phone, email and USPS. A complete listing of department contacts can be found on the Lake County website www.co.lake.mn.us and at (218) 834-8300.

The Courthouse will remain open during regular business hours for District Court business only. It is recommended that you call ahead to Court Administration at (218) 834-8330 to determine the appropriate location to enter the Courthouse.

We will make every effort to keep the Recycling Center open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 11am to 5:30pm, however, if we are unable to appropriately staff the facility it will be closed until further notice. Please check the Lake County Facebook page for updates or call the Solid Waste Office at 834-8304.

The Demolition Landfill will maintain its regular schedule.

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Contact: Matt Huddleston, Lake County Administrator, 218-834-8320, matthew.huddleston@co.lake.mn.us.

March 16, 2020

Media Release Lake County COVID Update 3.16.20

Lake County COVID-19 Updates on March 16, 2020
Posted by Lake County Board Chair, Rich Sve

In response to Governor Walz’s announcements on March 13 and March 15, Lake County continues to work with Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and partners to support the health and wellbeing of our communities. This includes reminding us all that we are our own best defense against the transmission of COVID: wash our hands, cover our coughs, keep a social distance, and stay home when sick.

The situation is rapidly evolving and we’re updating our strategies to provide essential services, protect the health of our staff and emergency workers, and maintain economic stability.

Currently Lake County is open for essential business. The public is encouraged to conduct their business remotely rather than in person at County facilities. Please call 218-834-8300, use email, or use the dropboxes at the Two Harbors or Silver Bay Service Centers.

By closing schools, limiting exposures, and protecting our senior citizens, we are fighting back. Schools, businesses and governments are planning not only for education of our students, but also for parents to keep working, and to help cover expenses while caring for children or sick family members. We all need to share the challenges caused by these uncertain and trying times.

The MN Dept of Health (MDH) has set up a hot line for questions about COVID at 651-201-3920 or 800-657-3903 from 7AM to 7PM every day of the week. The MN Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM) also has a hotline for questions about Governor Walz’s orders at 651-297-1304 or 800-657-3504, also from 7AM to 7PM every day of the week.

Contact: BJ Kohlstedt. Lake County Emergency Manager, 218-220-7811

Media Release Lake County COVID Update 3.10.20

MARCH 10, 2020: We’ve all been hearing a lot about “COVID-19,” the name for the respiratory disease caused by the novel Coronavirusthat has spread to over 100 countries and sickened over 100,000 people worldwide (as of March 8). Since theMinnesota Department of Health (MDH) reported the first case in Minnesota on March 6, can we expect the COVID-19 to visit Lake County? The short answer is that it’s likely. COVID-19 is much like the respiratory virus influenza, but because it’s a new arrival, there is a lot we don’t know about how easily it spreads and how serious it can be. So far, with the help of Pasadena area probate attorney, we know it hits the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions the hardest. The good news is that we are our own best protection against becoming sick with COVID-19. COVID-19 is spread by droplets from a sick person’s nose or mouth, often transferred by their coughs or sneezes. We all know that good handwashing is our best defense, along with keeping our hands away from our eyes, nose and mouth. Covering coughs with the inside of our elbow, staying a few feet away from sick people, and staying home from work when sick are also expected of us. If you do get flu-like symptoms (fever, cough, shortness of breath), be sure to call or chat with your medical provider online before showing up at the clinic or hospital. In Minnesota, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) serves as the lead agency in monitoring and managing coVID-19. Their website at www.health.state.mn.us is the best place to get current information on the disease and how to protect yourself and your family. They also offer a COVID-19 hotline for public questions at 651-201-3920; it is open from 8am – 4:30pm Monday-Friday. What will happen when the disease does reach Lake County? The MDH will interview each case and have the person isolate themselves (normally at home), track those who have been in contact with them, and recommend that those people stay at home in voluntary quarantine for two weeks. Lake County Public Health will provide essential services as needed (ie. providing food, medications, and transportation) to those in isolation or quarantine. Any important local updates can be found on the Lake County website at www.co.lake.mn.us and any urgent public messages would be sent
out through “Lake County Emergency Alerts” (sign up on our website). Should the outbreak progress to impact a larger number of people, MDH may recommend “Community Mitigation Interventions” like postponing community gatherings, encouraging virtual gatherings for work and church, and if needed, closing schools. But these have not happened yet. We’ve been through global outbreaks before. Lake County works closely with local, regional and state partners to plan for and manage these incidents. These plans worked well during the 2009 H1N1 global pandemic, and we expect they will work well again.

“Wash your hands, cover your cough, and stay home when sick.”