Perry County Commission advises Perry County residents shelter in place

From Perry County officials Tuesday night shortly after 10 p.m.:

In this time of great concern for our families, fellow citizens and community, the Perry County Commission, County Health Department and leadership of the our local municipal governments Perryville, Altenburg and Frohna are reaching out to you with a plea that the residents of Perry County shelter in place for the foreseeable future to slow the spread of COVID19 in our communities.

County and municipal leaders have been meeting with the Health Department on COVID-19’s imminent impact on our community for well over two weeks. This past Sunday, at the recommendation of Perry County Health Department Director and County Health Officer, Sylvia Forester, the County Commission activated our Emergency Operations Command following our county’s first confirmed COVID19 case.

With our county’s second confirmed COVID19 case, just yesterday, the County Commission is now advising all residents of Perry County, with the exception of critical infrastructure employees, to shelter in place for their protection. In fact, this simple action will help protect our entire community. This order is effective tomorrow at midnight to protect our local population, will continue indefinitely and be reviewed on April 2, 2020.

When this pandemic is over, we may never know if we made the right choice by asking our citizens to take these extreme measures in the name of public safety, but we will know for certain if we weren’t cautious enough. We have the full cooperation of leadership from every corner of this county and We are working together to stay ahead and keep our citizens safe.

By order of the County Commission, Perry County Health Department Director Sylvia Forester, was named County Health Officer on March 19, 2020. This statutorily-defined position carries all the weight and responsibility found in Missouri State Law. In short, she is responsible for developing a plan to keep our community safe during this pandemic response.