The county board held a special meeting via Skype on April 7 and heard reports from Grace Grinager and Mike Keyport, who serve on the Cook County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) incident command team. This team is in charge of handling the county’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Public Health Coordinator Grinager started with the day’s tally of how many Minnesotans had been diagnosed with COVID-19, and how many had died. She noted that because the virus is often dormant in people for up to two weeks, this was really like looking one to two weeks in the past. She added there are “severe limitations” in testing capabilities for the COVID-19 virus throughout the state.
County agencies, health departments, first responders, and law enforcement have been coordinating their efforts and working together on the COVID-19 pandemic, said Grianger. She pointed out that the county has a Coronavirus Response Hub on its website, where people can go to get the latest updates from the Sawtooth Mountain Clinic, Cook County Public Health and Human Services, student meal program, resources for mental well being, grocery store hours and even where you can purchase takeout food etc.
All of the commissioners thanked Grinager for her report. Commissioner Bobby Dechampe asked Grinager to please cite the number of COVID-19 patients who have recovered from the virus when she updates them on the state’s count. “That would be helpful,” he said.
“No day is the same anymore,” said Cook County Emergency Management Director Mike Keyport.
With a lot more people at home right now who are using the internet, Keyport noted that the 911 system was still holding up well.
Mike said he has been meeting online with emergency managers from the 11 county area, and it has been positive for everyone. “We can learn from what the other counties are doing. Sharing information helps us move forward.”
One thing the county will have to address is what to do with workers who will be coming here to work. Mike said MnDOT is continuing with its plans to work on Highway 61 this spring/summer, and the workers will need a place to stay. “We have to be prepared,” for that to happen, he said.
County Administrator update
Interim Cook County Administrator Rena Rogers reported that “Business is still going on,” at the county, albeit somewhat slower than before.
With many courthouse employees working from home, Rogers said the maintenance staff was deep cleaning the building. She added that the recycling center had also been deep cleaned, and the YMCA was also receiving the same care.
Typically the Y swimming pool is drained and cleaned in July, said Rogers, but with it now closed to the public, the pool has already been drained and cleaned. Rogers said the county had saved $5,000 so far by not heating the water in the pool, and plans are to leave the pool empty until the Y is reopened to the public.
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