Yesterday the Office of Lane County Public Health publicized a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases in the rural Lane County area, this included an increase of 6 cases in the 97439 zip code accounting for a total of 12 cases. Lane County Public Health Information Officer Jason Davis said the increase was the result of a person becoming infected in Marion County and then returning home. The virus was then spread within that person’s sphere of influence. Davis says that while it is an unfortunate turn of events for the area, it is currently containable.
“They do seem to be limited to social circles, there isn’t a widespread community transmission at this point.”
Davis said that each case in this section of rural Lane County was the result of someone contacting it out of the area and then bringing it back. Davis warns of the dangers of travel during the pandemic and is concerned about the amount of traffic that is flowing towards the coast. He says we cannot afford the virus to expand through community spread.
“The minute that we see widespread community transmission, that’s where it gets out of hand, that’s where public health can’t do contact tracing and can’t do our job in helping to contain the spread.”
Davis says the message is consistent. Masking in public, social distancing, limiting group gathering and minimize travel. Failure to do so will severly limit efforts to contain COVID-19.
