Butler County Emergency Management Director Robbie Myers said in a meeting Monday afternoon that a rumor is going around about a COVID-19 case in Butler County.
Myers said this is not true. There are no confirmed cases in the area at this time. He said the rumor appears to have started out of confusion because of a confirmed case in Butler County, Ohio.
Should a Butler County test come back positive, Myers said, Gov. Mike Parsons will likely come down to make the announcement as he has with the confirmed cases in other areas of the state.
Myers discussed the topic in a meeting at the Emergency Operations Center where area leaders came together to discuss the situation in Butler County. The Emergency Operations team will meet daily while Missouri is under a state of emergency, which started Friday afternoon. At 10 a.m. Monday, the Butler County Commission entered into a state of emergency as well, Myers said.
City officials said at least seven tests have been taken in the area. Four returned negative and the others are still pending. Myers said the results of private labs would only be shared if they come back positive.
Myers and David Ross with EMS encouraged people concerned about symptoms or who have questions to call the state hotline at 877-435-8411. The hotline operates 24/7 and will accept calls from any domestic phone number. It is manned by trained medical professionals who are qualified to answer any questions.
City Manager Mark Massingham said there’s no current limitations on city operations as of Monday afternoon. The manufacturing plants are still are still operating and do not plan any closures at this point, Massingham said.
Ross said there’s no delay if somebody needs to go to the hospital due to an emergency.
“If their symptoms are not so severe that they need to be immediately treated, the health hotline that the state has is a good way to get information to see if they need to call somebody or if they need to stay home for the time being,” he said. “Obviously, people being self-quarantined will help stop the spread. We don’t want to discourage people from using the medical services that are available, but if you don’t need to go to the hospital, at least consider the number before calling 911.”
Police Chief Danny Whiteley reported that the department is in “support mode” right now, but is taking an abundance of caution on hand washing and the recommended six-foot distance.
“For law enforcement, that’s sometimes not possible,” he said.
According to a press release, the department will implement social distancing measures.
During non-emergency calls to residential addresses, officers may ask residents to step outside to speak with them. Officers will discourage hand shakes and other forms of physical contact.
“They are not being rude, they are doing their part to protect the most vulnerable citizens of our community and our nation,” the release said.
Darrin Taylor, executive director of the Housing Authority said staff were briefed last week on hand washing and other safety precautions they’d received from the American Public Health Association.
He said residents will receive notices this week about the office being closed to foot traffic and an update on work orders.
Non-emergency work orders will likely be delayed, he said, especially for households that are experiencing any flu-like symptoms.
The primary concern, he said, is the facilities with primarily older residents.
There’s 296 elderly residents within the housing authority facilities.
Events that bring in foot traffic into the facilities have been cancelled.
“We’re going to be proactive,” he said. “We’re doing extra disinfecting. We’re doing as much as we can to protect the safety of our residents, particularly our elderly residents.”
Myers said the Sheriff’s Department is performing extra disinfecting in the jail as well.
Meanwhile, the Missouri Supreme Court put out an order on Friday for all appellate and circuit courts.
Presiding Circuit Judge Michael M. Pritchett said all in-person proceedings are suspended with some exceptions. The suspension will last until Friday, April 3, but may be extended.
Exemptions include proceedings:
• Necessary to protect the constitutional right of criminal defendants and juveniles
• Pertaining to orders of protection
• Related to emergency child custody orders
• Related to petitions for temporary restraining orders
• Proceedings related to emergency mental health orders
• Pursuant to emergency guardianship or conservatorship
Any cases that do need to be held in-person will be limited to the attorneys, parties, witnesses, security officers and other individuals necessary to the proceedings as determined by he presiding judge, according to the order.
Pritchett said a jury trial was set for April 1, 2, and 3. This will be moved, he said.
“My goal is to limit as much personal contact as possible,” he said. “If somebody has business with the clerk of court, it would be my goal for them to call or email rather than make a trip of the courthouse.”
He said conversations about what exactly needs to be done are still on-going. Pritchett expects more notices of proceeds to come out as time goes on.
“What I anticipate being the problem is people being confused as to when they need to come back for the next court dates,” he said. “If they have an attorney, they should contact their attorney. If they don’t have an attorney, they should contact the courts through email or telephone contact.”