Governor Mike DeWine announced Thursday, August 13, that Allen County has moved to Orange Level 2 Alert. Allen County currently meets the following two indicators:

•  New cases per capita (over 50/100,000)
•  Proportion of cases not in a congregate setting

In addition to the indicators Allen County’s per capita case rate dropped to 96.73 cases/100,000, below the benchmark of 100/100,000 that kept Allen County in Red Level 3 Alert last week.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR ALLEN COUNTY

•  More Allen County residents have been doing their part to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Wearing facial coverings and practicing social distancing has helped slow the spread.

•  More Allen County residents are taking their COVID-19 diagnosis seriously and cooperating with contact tracing by helping public health officials identify individuals who may have been exposed to the coronavirus.

•  More Allen County residents are cooperating with instructions to quarantine if they are told they have been exposed to the coronavirus.

Our goal is to reach and maintain Yellow Level 1 status. To do this, residents must continue to do the following:

MASK UP! BACK UP! WASH UP!

•  Take PREVENTIVE ACTIONS now to slow the spread of coronavirus in our community to lower our risk level. Social distancing, wearing face coverings, limiting gatherings to no more than 10 people, and avoiding travel to COVID-19 “hot spots” will help us slow the spread. If people do more than what’s required for safety, it will benefit everyone.

•  Take the spread of coronavirus seriously and cooperate with Allen County Public Health officials if they are contacted regarding quarantine or isolation.

•  Follow safety guidelines established by schools, businesses and organizations when going about daily activities.

  If you are sick, isolate within your house as much as you can to prevent spreading COVID-19 to the rest of your family, for example, stay in a specific “sick room” and use a separate bathroom if available.