COVID-19 update: Grundy County has 17 cases

GRUNDY COUNTY- As this issue of The Grundy Register goes to press, Grundy County has five new reported cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number to 17.

According to the data from the Iowa coronavirus website, six of the 17 individuals have made full recoveries, and only two are currently hospitalized.

Although Governor Kim Reynolds allowed some businesses to partially reopen in 77 of 99 counties (including Grundy) last Friday, Thornton-Lang and other public health officials are still urging residents to follow guidelines regarding avoiding large gatherings, washing hands frequently and wearing masks in public if possible.

Thornton-Lang told The Grundy Register that while there are confirmed cases at Richelieu Foods in Grundy Center—the only large food production facility in the county—it does not meet the criteria for an outbreak, and she praised the company’s human resources department for their communication throughout the situation.

“They’ve been wonderful to work with,” Thornton-Lang said. “Their HR has been very forthright with everything. They’ve been very, very transparent.”

Because the governor’s proclamation does not include all types of businesses, the sheriff’s office did respond to one report of a hair salon reopening, and Sheriff Rick Penning said there were no other incidents in the days since.

Neighboring counties—where many Grundy County residents work—remain some of the epicenters of the outbreak in Iowa, and Black Hawk County still leads all counties with over 1,300 confirmed cases at press time. Because of its proximity, Thornton-Lang says that an increase in Grundy County felt inevitable.

“We weren’t going to be naïve and think we were going to stay on that island,” she said.