Two new COVID-19 cases reported in Butler County Wednesday

An increase in COVID-19 cases over the last several days, Butler County Health Department Administrator Emily Goodin said, probably can be attributed to more tests becoming available and more people venturing away from home as businesses begin to open back up.

During Wednesday’s Emergency Operations Center briefing, Goodin reported two new cases in Butler County.

“We had two new patients today, bringing our total up to 42,” she said.

The recent uptick, Goodin said, isn’t unexpected.

“I think it’s a lot of everything,” she said. “Yes, more testing has become available, and also, people are starting to get out a little more than before.”

Because of the increase in people venturing out, Goodin said, her department is “ramping up our messaging that we still need to implement social distancing, especially when we’re around other people like going to church.”

The Butler County Health Department also is “working a lot with different organizations on different events they have coming up and how they can safely do that with social distancing,” Goodin said.

At the Poplar Bluff Municipal Library, Sue Crites-Szostak reported on the facility’s curbside service.

“It’s going very well,” she said.

The library also has begun offering a printing service on site.

“We’ve implemented where people can do printing, and we can provide printing services via curbside if people are so inclined to do so,” said Crites-Szostak. “All they have to do is call from the parking lot and email what they want printed, and we’ll print it and take their payment by credit card and take it out to them.”

That email address, she said, is printing@poplarbluff.org.

At Wednesday’s briefing, it also was noted the Poplar Bluff Boys & Girls Club will be reopening Monday on a limited basis.

“Boys & Girls Club will welcome back kids beginning Monday, June 8,” said Executive Director Chris Rushin. “We’re only able to take a limited number.”

Enrollment, Rushin noted, has been going on for the last three weeks, and those selected to participate have been notified. The remaining applicants have been placed on a waiting list.

The club, Rushin noted, will post a video on its website, www.bgcpb.org, and on its Facebook page, “that will address the drop-off and pick-up procedure.”

All members must be on campus by 9 a.m. or they will not be allowed to come that day, Rushin said.

Each day at the morning drop-off, Rushin said, members must stay in their vehicle until their temperature has been taken and a series of questions has been answered by a parent.

Most questions can be answered by going to the club’s website, Rushin said, or the organization can be called at 573-776-1690.

Meanwhile, Stoddard County Health Center Director Ben Godwin confirmed six new cases of COVID-19 Wednesday afternoon, bringing its total to 100 confirmed cases. The new cases are not related to the nursing home outbreak.

Several cases have been linked to a wedding in the Malden area, Godwin said.

Stoddard County now has 60 active cases, 35 recoveries and five deaths.

During his daily briefing in Jefferson City, Gov. Mike Parson said, the state had exceeded its goals for testing, with an average of 8,000 performed each day.

“We did more than 11,000 tests in one day last week,” Parson said.

Such testing, he said, “is so important for the future of our state.”

Parson also noted that statewide, as testing has increased, “we’ve seen our positive rate decline.”

That rate on Wednesday, he said, was 6.5%.

Hospitalizations due to COVID-19, Parson noted, also have dropped dramatically.

“Hospitalizations have dropped over 40% in the last month,” he reported.