There were around 150 cases of the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, in Missouri as of Sunday night. Audrain County is continuing efforts to prevent the virus’ spread.

Local organizations such as the YMCA and Mexico-Audrain Library District have shut their doors for the time being. The Audrain County Commission is asking people to conduct business with county offices by phone. If an in-person meeting is needed, the commission asks that individuals call that county office to make arrangements to visit the office.

Food distributions continue at the Laura Miller George Help Center. The number of applications for food assistance have increased in light of job losses from the spread of COVID-19, Director Phillip Iman said. He could not give exact statistics as they are still changing, he said.

“We get new [applications] every week, but it seems like there have been more new, and they are expressing they just lost their job,” he said.

Food distributions take place at The Help Center from 9 a.m. to noon, Wednesdays and 3-6 p.m. Fridays. A distribution also happens the third Thursday of each month in Vandalia. Those who sign up for a distribution can collect supplemental food once a month.

“We are constantly looking at the current situation and recommendations from the health department and so forth. We take as many precautions as possible,” Iman said.

Collections, right now, are in-person, but they may change based on state and county recommendations he said. Distributions likely would change to a curbside pick-up.

“At this point, it’s day by day. The one thing that is for sure is that we will continue to distribute food,” Iman said.

While other counties and communities have declared states of emergency, that is an unnecessary step at this point for Audrain County said Eastern District Commissioner Alan Winders.

“We will absolutely keep our county in a position to access [state and federal funds]. The federal declaration and the state declaration, based on advice of legal counsel, is that the county commission declaring a state of emergency is not necessary to ensure we have access to the same funds as everyone else,” he said.

If the advice changes, however, the commission would then take the steps to declare an emergency.

“I am not suggesting that anybody else is wrong. What I’m saying is that it is our understanding we do not have to make that declaration, so we have not,” Winders said.

Since the state moved the date of municipal elections to June 2, one major project with Mexico is now in a holding pattern — Fairground Pool. A local use tax question on the ballot affects funding related to the pool.

If the use tax is approved by voters, that would mean the city has around $3.5 million in which to upgrade the pool. Without approval, that number drops to $1 million. They city had hoped to have final construction plans by May 1, but that is delayed due to the election date change.

“With everything that is going on, we have already called the contractor [Westport Pools] because this was a [design-build]. We’re just slowing the clock down a little bit,” City Manager Bruce Slagle said.

Having the final construction plans May 1 would have allowed the city to start closing the pool and being construction on the upgrades starting July 5.

The city is continuing regular business. It plans to start livestreaming city council meetings starting tonight through the city’s Facebook page as well as posting meeting videos to Youtube the following day.

The Audrain County Health Department has fit tested more than 2,100 individuals from 40 county agencies for N-95 masks. This includes home health, hospice, school nurses, first responders, the ministerial alliance so ministers can visit parishoners and other health and wellness agencies Administrator Sandra Hewlett said.

One Audrain County resident has been tested for COVID-19. The health department is waiting on results from the state lab and the person is self-isolating.

Hewlett expects rapid testing to be available within the next few weeks. That test has results in about 45 minutes compared to the one day to 36-hour turnaround time currently.

She recommends any person take their temperature before going out or going to work if they cannot work from home. Residents also should refrain from traveling to neighboring counties with confirmed COVD-19 cases. People should call the state’s 24-hour hotline at 1-877-435-8411 if they think they have contracted or have been in contact with a person with COVID-19.

A hindrance to testing right now is businesses not following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, Hewlett said. If an employer is requiring a second COVID-19 test to clear an employee to return to work, that is not following CDC guidelines, she said.

“No one is re-testing. With the scarcity of the number of tests, you’re getting tested one time and that is on diagnosis. You then recover for 14 days and go back to work. Companies can’t make up rules that fly in the face of the CDC. They have to adhere to the proper guidelines,” Hewlett said.

Anyone with questions should call the state hotline, she said.