Cole County health officials call for residents to follow pandemic guidelines
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
Cole County health officials made a plea with county residents to follow COVID-19 health guidelines as the pandemic continues.
You can watch a recording of the news conference in the media player below.
Cole County Health Department Director Kristi Campbell reminded the public to follow all coronavirus mitigation tools like social distancing, wearing a mask in public and keeping up with hygiene.
Jefferson City Mayor Carrie Tergin continued the director's call reminding everyone in the county not to get COVID-19 or spread it.
"This is clear advice we should all be following - this is a call to action," Tergin said.
The mayor followed up the statement by saying all residents should listen to local doctors and the health department.
Dr. Thomas Robbins with Jefferson City Medical Group said during the clinic unequivocally approves a mask mandate across the county.
No other officials on the conference call offered support or opposed a mask mandate. Recently, city and county officials have spoken against implementing a mask order in Cole County.
Doctors from Capital Region Medical Center and SSM St. Mary's said they are worried about a spike in COVID-19 hospitalizations after the holidays.
As of Wednesday, the county has reported 5,770 positive coronavirus cases and 52 virus-related deaths since the pandemic started. It's the highest number of COVID-19 deaths in a single county across the Mid-Missouri area.
