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For Harlan County’s COVID-19 report on Friday, Judge-Executive Dan Mosley said health officials received confirmation of 10 new cases of the virus, two of which reside in the same household and another two who are contacts of other positives announced earlier in the week.

Of the total 218 cases, 51 are active, with eight being hospitalized.

There have also been 163 individuals who have recovered from the virus and four reported deaths.

The 10 new cases include a 23-year-old female (symptomatic), 34-year-old male (symptomatic), 70-year-old male, 51-year-old female, 41-year-old female (symptomatic), 40-year-old female, 75-year-old male (symptomatic) and 52-year-old female. There is also a male and female Mosley said are positive and symptomatic, but their ages have yet to be reported.

“For the month of July, we have recorded 193 positive cases, which is an incredible spike from the previous four months,” Mosley said.

He added health officials remain concerned about community spread in the Evarts area, that has seen daily increases since July 20.

“At one point, nearly 30 cases were tied to this area. With today’s numbers, 20 of our active cases are connected to the Evarts area,” he said.

Mosley encourages individuals living in the area to  make sure they are correctly following all CDC and state guidelines, wear masks when needed and social distance from others.

He is encouraging locals to monitor for symptoms of COVID-19, such as fever, cough and loss of taste and/or smell. 

“If we have those symptoms, we need to call our health care provider about getting tested or what level of care we need. If you are sick, please stay home,” he said.

A mask mandate is also in effect by Beshear. Mosley said if anyone needs a mask, call his office at 606-573-2600 and “we will gladly mail you one.”

Mosley said it is also important that businesses are conducting health screenings of employees when they arrive for work, including temperature checks.

“A business should never allow an employee who is exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms to work their shift and potentially infect others,” he said. “Healthy at Work guidelines can be viewed at healthyatwork.ky.gov. Protect your employees by following these guidelines and in turn you are protecting your customers and your community.”

He said the Health Department determines if a business needs to close for cleaning if an employee who works for the facility tests positive.

“Some businesses have voluntarily closed on their own out of an abundance of caution to clean. If you have questions or concerns about this, I would encourage you to speak directly with the health department,” he said.

To report non-compliance of COVID-19 restrictions and guidelines, Mosley said to call the Harlan County Health Department at 606-573-4820.

If you were a close contact of any of the positive cases, the Health Department will reach out to you directly as part of its contact tracing and will instruct you on what measures are necessary to protect you and your family.