(KLZA)-- The Richardson County Health Board met August 26th.  

The Board has been meeting for several months to help keep up to date with the COVID-19 situation.

During the meeting Southeast District Health Department Director Grant Brueggemann responded to questions on several topics.

Brueggemann says he has seen no issues with schools opening over the past several weeks and that the plans have worked out well with students returning to classrooms. 

Brueggemann said he expects  that cases of COVID-19 confirmed in students and Peru State College will be reported locally if they are long-term residents.  Since the pandemic began, a positive test is reported wherever that person lives, and not in the county where the test was conducted or where the person may have contracted the virus. 

Health Board member Dr. Alan  Tramp asked if the SEDHD has been able to determine if cases of the virus are being further spread at events hosting larger crowds.  While unable to comment on specific events in Richardson County, Brueggemann said generally, a lot of the cases are coming from some sort of events such as weddings,  baby showers and golf tournaments.

Brueggemann says his concerns about the pandemic remain similar to what they have been since spring, noting that area residents need to take ownership in what is happening and continue to wear masks and social distance.  He stressed the importance of keeping kids home from school if they are sick to avoid causing some sort of outreak if it were to be COVID-19.

The Richardson County Health Board plans to meet again in three weeks.