The Springfield-Greene County Health Department has decided to stop notifying the public about coronavirus exposures that are considered low-risk.
It says it will let people know about potential high-risk exposures as usual.
But health officials believe the new mask ordinance will reduce the number of new cases.
There have been 240 new cases reported over the last week.
Here’s more from the health department:
The Springfield-Greene County Health Department will be suspending the public notification of low-risk potential exposure locations, effective today.
This decision has come as a result of several factors.
On Thursday, a mandatory masking ordinance went into effect in Springfield. It is the position of the Health Department that this policy will help slow the spread of COVID-19 in our community.
Between Thursday, July 9 and Thursday, July 16, there were an additional 240 new cases of COVID-19 in our county.
The volume and nature of those cases points to significant community spread of illness.
We have reached a point in this pandemic where any public location should be treated as if it could be a source of exposure. Masking is one of our best tools in this regard, as is practicing physical distancing, proper hand hygiene, and staying home when we are ill.
Contact tracing and quarantine of positive cases and close contacts will continue, and public notifications will continue to be made in cases of high-risk public exposures.
COVID-19 is spread through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. It spreads between people who are in close contact with one another.
Masking has been found to have a significant impact on preventing the spread of COVID-19. You can learn more about when and how to mask here.
Symptoms of COVID-19 include:
Fever or chills
Cough
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Fatigue
Muscle or body aches
Headache
New loss of taste or smell
Sore throat
Congestion or runny nose
Nausea or vomiting
Diarrhea
If symptoms do develop, seek medical attention.
If you are sick, you can use virtual care options to seek medical treatment without exposing others to illness. Links are available at health.springfieldmo.gov/coronavirus.
For more information about COVID-19, visit our website at health.springfieldmo.gov/coronavirus.
