Butler County began to see a spike in cases of COVID-19 as the month of October began and later topped 3,000 cases as a late-year surge pushed area hospitals’ critical care units. However, a COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Butler County before Christmas, offering hope at the end of a long year of the pandemic.
Oct. 1
• Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center sees a rise in COVID-19 hospitalizations as it reaches its highest number of cases yet.
Oct. 6
• The Butler County Health Department released a change to its contract tracing methods when it comes to the Poplar Bluff R-1 school district. People exposed to COVID-19 can leave quarantine if they test negative four days after they are exposed to the virus.
Oct. 9
• It is reported the Neelyville R-IV school board loosened its contact tracing policy for COVID-19, allowing people who receive a negative test four days after exposure to test out of quarantine. Additionally, people are exempt from contact tracing if they were wearing a mask when exposed to the virus.
Oct. 14
• Fancy Moore, 26, of Broseley credits God, love, prayers and Dr. Tiffany Samples for helping her survive a battle with COVID-19.
Oct. 15
• It is reported Ripley County is among eight counties considered a “hot spot“ for COVID-19.
Oct. 16
• It is reported the Poplar Bluff school district has approved adding three COVID-19 contact tracer positions to address the needs of the nursing staff.
Oct. 17
• It is reported the Neelyville R-IV school district will shut down the week of Oct. 19 because of a sharp increase in the number of people affected by COVID-19.
Oct. 21
• It is reported the courts in Ripley County will step down to operating in phase 1 after a courthouse employee tested positive for COVID-19.
Oct. 22
• It is reported the Poplar Bluff Mules football team canceled its final game of the regular season with Hillsboro because of several players being forced to quarantine after a positive test for COVID-19.
Oct. 29
• It is reported the courts in Butler County stepped down to phase 1 operations after a county employee tested positive for COVID-19.
• The Poplar Bluff R-1 school board approved a mask mandate for students in grades four through 12 at a specially called board meeting.
Nov. 4
• It is reported Gamma Healthcare has closed its doors permanently amidst an ongoing battle with regulators over its COVID-19 testing procedures.
Nov. 5
• It is reported AEL labs in Memphis, Tennessee, has taken over processing of COVID-19 tests by the Butler County Health Department following the closure of Gamma Healthcare.
Nov. 13
• It is reported the Poplar Bluff R-1 school district has seen a decrease in the number of COVID-related issues since the implementation of a mask mandate in October.
Nov. 20
• It is reported there has been a spike in cases of COVID-19 in the lower grades of the Poplar Bluff R-1 school district.
• It is reported Missouri Gov. Mike Parson reiterates his opposition to a statewide mask mandate.
Nov. 24
• It is reported Butler County is on the verge of falling into the highest risk category, extreme risk, in a public health warning issued by the governor on Nov. 20.
Dec. 2
• It is reported hospitals in southeast Missouri are experiencing an increase in cases of COVID-19, both in their own communities and with requests from other medical providers which have ran out of bed space.
• It is reported Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center’s critical care unit was at full capacity as of Dec. 1.
Dec. 8
• It is reported Butler County is now an extreme risk area for COVID-19.
Dec. 10
• It is reported Butler County has one of the highest COVID-19 rates in the state of Missouri.
Dec. 11
• It is reported Stoddard and Dunklin counties have both suspended in-person court proceedings because of an increase in cases of COVID-19.
Dec. 14
• The Butler County Health Department reports 183 new positive cases of COVID-19, the highest daily total to date since the beginning of the pandemic. Those new cases at Butler County above the 3,000-case mark, with a total of 3,124.
Dec. 16
• It is reported Robert Knodell, an alumnus of Twin Rivers High School, will help the state of Missouri coordinate its release of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Dec. 22
• The first doses of a COVID-19 vaccine in Butler County were given out to front-line medical professionals.