Community leaders continued to provide updates Wednesday in a weekly collaborative teleconference facilitated by the Audrain County Health Department. Audrain County organizations, agencies and elected officials participate in the call.

SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital — Audrain is conducting elective procedures again. They started again Monday. Those who have an elective surgery will be tested for COVID-19 prior to the surgery taking place. The hospital’s drive-thru testing site remains active. Fifteen tests were conducted Tuesday, some of which were non-Audrain County residents.

Audrain County Developmental Disability Services is still closed the public, and employees are working from home, including Handi-Shop employees.

Missouri Veterans Home continues its quarantine status to protect residents and staff. Nursing homes throughout the county continue to maintain their quarantine status.

The Laura Miller George Help Center reopened its thrift store Monday. There are four staff, so only six customers are allowed into the store at one time. It was a little difficult the first day to maintain the six-person limit, Director Phillip Iman said. He had to request some customers to wait outside. Curbside pick-up on food distribution days is continuing.

Audrain County’s quick reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic means it is in a better situation to react when the expected second wave hits in the fall, health department Administrator Sandra Hewlett said.

“We can think we overreacted because there are not many cases, but there are not very many cases because we did act and we did act early,” Mexico Area Chamber of Commerece Executive Director Dana Keller said.

COVID-19 cases are so low in the county for a number of factors, but the big one is collaboration between all of the community leaders, Hewlett said. Other factors include the county’s population density. As of Wednesday, 176 people have been tested, with only one positive result and that person has recovered. So, there are no active cases of COVID-19 in Audrain County.

Central Missouri Community Action’s family resource center remains closed through at least June.

Churches are slowly reopening to congregants, Mexico United Methodist church senior pastor Eric Mattson said. They are focusing on sanitation methods and working out ways to maintain social distancing before they reopen, he said.

“Everyone is being conservative at this point,” Hewlett said. “I think it’s going to be two or three weeks before we see any [cases], if we do, on this reopening.”

Audrain County Crisis Intervention Services employees continue to mostly work from home. There are a couple working from the office and the shelter on a rotation. Guests are required to wear a mask when visiting the ACCIS office. A majority of the calls ACCIS has received for shelter have come from the St. Louis area, director Peggy Payne said.

“Our local people are not calling for shelter yet,” she said.

Community R-6 staff re-entered the school building Thursday in shifts to gather up personal belongings and any other materials, including student materials. Student materials are being boxed up for a drive-thru pick-up and to return devices. Graduation is tentatively set as June 7. There will be a limited number of guests allowed. There will be assigned seating with six-foot buffers between families. Graduation will take place between the two gymnasiums and the number of people using the restroom at one time will be limited.

Missouri Military Academy will have a virtual graduation May 15. Only senior cadets and faculty and staff will participate.

The collaborative teleconference roundtable meetings will continue weekly for the next two weeks and then may move to a bi-weekly schedule depending on the COVID-19 situation in the county.

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