Coronavirus cases have been on the increase in Geary County in recent days. Tammy Von Busch, Health Officer, noted that there is a current face mask order in place. "We had it before the Governor sent hers out. It's a little bit more restrictive I think, than the Governor's." Our order states that people over the age of two have to wear masks if they cannot maintain a six foot distance from other individuals."
Von Busch said the order applies to everybody. "We don't want to have to shut businesses down. We don't want to see the state come out and say we're going to shut down businesses because of the spike in our numbers. So we really want people to understand the use of masks is really important. It protects you and the people around you."
Von Busch noted that sometimes people say masks don't work. "I think that what people is that when they're wearing their mask they're protected and they don't think about the other critical part of protecting yourself. That's hand washing and remembering don't touch your face, your eyes, your mouth."
Von Busch cited an example of people properly wearing their mask into a grocery store but they touch food items other people may have touched, key pads in the checkout lines and when they take their items to the car they take their mask off. "People need to remember that you should have some sanitizer in the car and sanitize your hands before you even take your mask off. If your hands are contaminated from anything in the store you touch your mask and now your mask is contaminated. And so when you put that mask on again you run the risk of infecting yourself with any virus particles that might be on that mask."
Von Busch said there are multiple approaches to keeping yourself ranging from face masks and hand washing to social distancing and not touching your face and mouth.