Public Health Director urges business to prep for back-to-school

by Marissa Lorenz

During her most recent update to the Grand County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC), Grand County Public Health Director Brene Belew-Ladue urged planning for school re-entry as an important piece of business preparedness in times of COVID-19.

“I want to bring up–I believe there’s a high probability that at least portions of the schools will shut down,” Belew-Ladue cautioned. “Businesses need to be prepared for this. They will have employees with kids in school, and it will hurt them. I know it will.”

“All throughout this, we’ve had kids who are positive,” she continued. “There’s a high probability that classes or schools will be shut down. We have to look at how we’re going to work with communities, with businesses, with chambers on what this is going to be like. It may be that people have to work from home because their kids are at home, and their kids are doing online school. I don’t know what it will be like, but we have to be prepared for it. I’m looking to [the BOCC] and to the communities to help us find those answers.”

Though minimal discussion was had at the time of the meeting, DiAnn Butler, Grand County Economic Development Coordinator, confirms that the issue is being addressed by business leaders and the Business Economic Recovery Team.

“The towns, County and lead business anchors have been in discussion on the COVID issues as it affects businesses,” Butler assures. “We continue to look at creative solutions for workforce challenges, especially as they pertain to work challenges due to partial or full closures of schools, etc. We are planning some fall business forums to address some of these unique challenges our county may be facing.”

New bump in case count
The Public Health Director’s appeal followed her communication of another uptick in the county’s COVID-19 case count over the weekend. Another eight positive cases in recent days has brought Grand County’s total resident case count up to 54. The increase raises the two-week, rolling case count back up to 11, the highest since July 28. It further indicates that the county is experiencing another high rate of transmission.

There are 21 people currently in quarantine or isolation, due to possible exposure. There are 15 known cases in people associated with Grand County, but who reside elsewhere. There are no current coronavirus hospitalizations, and there have been no deaths in Grand County caused by the COVID-19 virus.

Person-to-person transmission caused 51% of the cases, and 27.7% occurred through community spread. Updated breakdowns indicate that 20.8% of cases have been in the Kremmling area, 41.7% in the Fraser Valley, and 37.5% in central Grand County–Granby, Grand Lake, and Hot Sulphur Springs.

Data are updated regularly and can be found at www.co.grand.co.us/COVID19. Note the frequency with which statistics are updated as some are reported less frequently in order to help protect patient privacy.