Fifteen inmates and one staff member at the state prison in Clarinda have tested positive for the coronavirus according to the Iowa Department of Corretions. Jessica Erdman, the Page County Public Health Administrator, says the source of the outbreak hasn’t been pinpointed.
“They’re pretty inundated right now so they haven’t really been able to sit down and go over everything with us as of yet,” she says. “We’re hoping to get that done just sometime today or tomorrow.”
A total of 30 cases of Covid in Page County were confirmed yesterday. That’s the highest one-day total for the county since the pandemic began.
“Keep wearing your mask and keep social distancing and you know we are seeing a good amount of spread here in the county and we would really like to get that number back down,” Erdman says. “The month of September has been our highest month, to date, so we are hoping October is a better month for us.”
Erdman says the Clarinda Lutheran School will shift all students online Monday because at least seven confirmed Covid cases are associated with the school.
(By Mike Peterson, KMA, Shenandoah)