Officials with Cass County Public Health, in Atlantic, report today (Friday), the number of positive COVID-19 test results in Iowa continues to climb and currently stands at 1,388. As of today (Friday), there have been no confirmed cases reported in Cass County.  Cass County Public Health Director Beth Olsen says “We are urging residents not to be complacent about following public health recommendations, just because a confirmed case has not been reported here yet. It’s important to remember there is widespread community transmission across the state. This means the virus is spreading from person-to-person, and often without known contact with a positive case.”

A resident’s chance of exposure to the virus is high, regardless of there being no confirmed case in Cass County. This is why all residents are advised to stay home as much as possible, and when they must leave for essential errands like groceries or to get medication, they maintain a 6-foot distance from other individuals and avoid groups of people. This is because the risk of exposure to the virus is NOT limited to exposure to a known case; you could just as easily be exposed to an undiagnosed individual at the grocery store.