Springfield-Greene County Health Department director, Clay Goddard, said the stay at home and social distancing measures that are in place seem to be working.
Goddard told Springfield City Council this week that case counts in the county have remained flat.
But he said citizens should continue to stay at home as much as possible.
He said the latest projected peak for COVID-19 in Missouri is April 19, and he suspects Greene County’s peak will be before that. The COVID-19 task force is looking for what Goddard called "intelligent ways" to eventually back out of the stay at home order." But the virus, he said, will determine when that happens.
"Our role is to influence the virus, and we have that opportunity by being disciplined about staying home, about following quarantine orders when we get them and by staying home when we're sick," said Goddard, "so, if we can do our part to influence the virus, I believe that that moves that timeline up, and we can get out of this quicker."
Goddard read a statement from infectious disease specialist, Dr. Robin Trotman, with CoxHealth. Trotman said Springfield is not ready for an influx of patients, and he’s worried about another outbreak in a long-term care facility. He said that’s why stay at home measures need to remain in place for now.
According to Goddard, face coverings can help prevent the spread of the virus if people have to go to the grocery store. But he said they shouldn’t give someone a false sense of security. Those at high risk for complication for the virus should stay at home if at all possible.
The latest count on Tuesday showed 72 cases of COVID-19 in Greene County and seven deaths from the illness.
Watch Goddard's update to Springfield City Council here.
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