LAURINBURG — Scotland County has 23 in-county cases of COVID-19 as of Monday’s report and no outbreaks in the community have kept the number on the lower side throughout the state.
According to Scotland County Health Department Director Kristen Patterson, there has been community spread of the virus but it hasn’t been as large since Scotland County is a rural area.
“We have fewer people, meaning there are less people traveling and less people in high populated areas we aren’t having as much spread as larger areas,” Patterson said. “But some rural areas are seeing large numbers due to outbreaks but luckily we haven’t had an outbreak here yet.”
Patterson said that one of the tricky things with the virus is that no one knows if the virus will be seeing a plateau in the area or if it will continue to increase.
“We are seeing community spread and with this virus, no one can tell you at this time if what we can expect with it,” Patterson said. “At this time we’re all just trying to be as safe as we can be.”
While Patterson did encourage people to wash their hands and continue practicing social distancing, she also is encouraging people to wear a face mask when they go out in public.
“Face masks are not mandatory right now but we know that when you go into stores it’s harder to practice social distancing,” Patterson said. “There are people who are asymptomatic who have the virus so we’re asking everyone to please wear a mask when they go out into stores.”
Patterson also recommended if people are not feeling well and exhibiting symptoms such as a low-grade fever or chills to not go into work and explain their symptoms to their employer. A full list of symptoms can be found on the CDC’s website.
Schools closed
On Friday, Gov. Roy Cooper announced that schools would be closed for the rest of the year due to COVID-19. Students have been working from home via online work or packets sent out by students since March — but school officials hoped students would be able to return in May to finish out the school year.
“This is not the news that he was hoping to deliver nor is it what we were hoping to hear,” said Scotland County Schools Superintendent Ron Hargrave. “However, this doesn’t mean that the learning will stop. We’ll continue to deliver instruction remotely via packets and online. Now more than ever, it’s important for our students to remain engaged, not only for their academic future, but for their emotional, mental, and social well-being as well.”
Hargrave added that the district is working on ways to recognize and celebrate the seniors while still following guidelines and restrictions set forth by both the Governor and the CDC.
Reach Katelin Gandee at kgandee@laurinburgexch.wpenginepowered.com.
