As Lyon County Commissioners continue to develop a new public health order, numerous organizations and experts weighed in on the topic during a special study session Wednesday morning.
The general consensus amongst each presenter was that there is a need for a universal mask policy of some kind in order to continue combating the COVID-19 pandemic. Lyon County Public Health Emergency Preparedness Director Jennifer Millbern shared some information on the topic Wednesday.
At this time, Lyon County has just over 20 active coronavirus cases and a little over 500 total cases. Lyon County’s numbers rank much lower than state leaders such as Wyandotte, Johnson and Ford counties, all of whom currently have over 2,000 total cases.
Millbern attributes this trend to proper mitigation efforts that have been in place since the onset of the pandemic.
Lyon County Commissioner Scott Briggs agreed with Millbern’s findings and says he understands that if a universal policy was instituted not everyone would likely adhere to it. However, he and Millbern both agree that if just 10 to 20 percent more residents chose to mask up it could have a significant impact.
Briggs adds those impacts would not only apply to local health trends but the local economy as well.
Lyon County Commissioners have taken all information presented Wednesday under consideration and will issue a new public health order during their weekly action session Thursday morning. The current health order, in place for over a month now, is set to expire Thursday.
