Coronavirus cases continue upward in Cape County; Scott City schools close

COVID-19 cases continued to spike in Cape Girardeau County on Wednesday and Thursday, with county officials adding nearly 300 cases.

Officials with the county’s Public Health Center reported 154 new cases Wednesday and 127 Thursday, pushing the county’s total case count to 4,210, while 3,210 county residents have recovered from the disease. As of Thursday, 940 cases were active in the county and officials have attributed 60 deaths to the virus.

Cases in long-term care facilities totaled 377, with 224 recoveries, 111 active cases and 42 deaths Monday.

Stoddard County, Missouri, officials reported two new deaths and 119 new cases, pushing the county’s total number of cases to 1,500, while 1,169 county residents have recovered from the virus.

Elsewhere in Missouri, Perry County reported 66 new cases (1,319 total cases, 1,019 recoveries, nine deaths), and Bollinger County reported its ninth virus-related death and 46 new cases (841 total cases, 660 recoveries).

Virus cases in Scott County rose to 2,088, while 1,414 county residents have recovered from the virus. Thirty-three county residents have died of the virus.

Southern Seven Health Department in Illinois reported 29 new cases — 23 in Union County (894 total cases, 570 recoveries, 21 deaths) and six in Alexander County (188 total cases, 99 recoveries, one death).

Southeast Missouri State University reported 25 new cases for a total case count of 489 (436 students and 53 employees). Active cases rose by 15 to 90 (73 students, 17 employees), and on-campus quarantine/isolation rose by five to 31.

Scott City schools to close

A “significant rise” in student and staff quarantine numbers compelled the Scott City School District to close for in-person learning for the remainder of November, effective Monday.

A notice from superintendent Michael Umfleet on Thursday said the district will use its alternative-learning programs in the shutdown period.

The district will continue to deliver meals during this time.

“Meals will be delivered on Mondays and will include a five-day supply of food. We will be using the same routes that we used last year. Our buses will leave the school at 10 a.m.,” a release from the school noted.

For more information, call the office from 9 a.m. to noon weekdays.