(THE MEETING was cancelled as of 10:22-a.m. today) Officials with the AHSTW School District said this (Sunday) morning, the AHSTW School Board will meet 3-p.m. today in the Avoca Elementary School Library. The purpose of the meeting is to receive information about, and discuss, the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

No action item was indicted on the agenda.

The Pottawattamie County COVID-19 Response Task Force met on Saturday, March 14th to discuss the data and recommendations presented at both the State of Iowa’s and Nebraska’s press conferences. Officials say “Being part of a larger metro area, we are evaluating all of the effects of community spread of the COVID-19 virus so that we can take proactive steps to flatten the expected curve. The task force will continue to meet daily to discuss the rapidly evolving situation and will provide updates as they become available.

As community spread has been identified in the Omaha metro area, the following guidance for community spread mitigation is vital.

Community: A group of people living in a defined geographic area, who are linked by social ties and engage in joint activities, such as work or recreation.
Community Spread: Occurs where individuals have been infected with the virus in an area and cannot specifically identify the source of the infection, or do not know how or where they became infected (e.g., cannot tie the illness to a specific event, like a cruise).
Community Spread = 1-2 identified community spread cases
● Individuals sixty years of age and older with underlying conditions should stay at home and avoid gatherings or other situations of potential exposures, including travel to affected areas.
● Implement personal protective measures. Encourage people to:
○ Stay home when sick
○ Wash their hands
○ Cover coughs and sneezes
● Clean frequently touched surfaces daily
● Reduce activities (e.g., group congregation, religious services), especially for organizations with individuals with underlying health conditions.
● Ensure hand hygiene supplies are readily available inbuildings.
● Cancel large gatherings (e.g., >250 people, the specific threshold is at the discretion of the
community) or move to smaller groupings.
● Consider personal social distancing measures: avoid large gatherings (e.g., assemblies), limit the number of attendees per gathering, and consider distance or working remotely or online learning when possible.
● Encourage staff to telework (when feasible), particularly individuals at increased risk of severe illness.
● Limit non-essential work travel and gatherings.
● Follow CDC guidance regarding school closures. If a school based case is identified, implement short-term suspension for school cleaning and contact tracing. Alter schedules to reduce mixing (e.g., stagger recess, entry/dismissaltimes).
● Cancel extracurricular activities as needed.
● Find local information on COVID-19 and local trends of COVID-19 cases at the IDPH web page.
Underlying Health Conditions: Health conditions that may increase the risk of serious COVID-19 include individuals with:

● Blood disorders (e.g., sickle cell disease or on blood thinners).
● Chronic kidney disease as defined by your doctor. Patient has been told to avoid or
reduce the dose of medications because of kidney disease, or is under treatment for
kidney disease, including receiving dialysis.
● Chronic liver disease as defined by your doctor. (e.g., cirrhosis, chronic hepatitis) Patient
has been told to avoid or reduce the dose of medications because liver disease or is
under treatment for liver disease.
● Compromised immune system (immunosuppression) (e.g., seeing a doctor for cancer
and treatment such as chemotherapy or radiation, received an organ or bone marrow
transplant, taking high doses of corticosteroids or other immunosuppressant
medications, HIV or AIDS).
● Current or recent pregnancy in the last twoweeks.
● Endocrine disorders (e.g., diabetes mellitus).
● Metabolic disorders (such as inherited metabolic disorders and mitochondrial disorders).
● Heart disease (such as congenital heart disease, congestive heart failure and coronary
artery disease).
● Lung disease including asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (chronic
bronchitis or emphysema) or other chronic conditions associated with impaired lung
function or that require homeoxygen.
● Neurological and neurologic and neurodevelopment conditions [including disorders of
the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerve, and muscle such as cerebral palsy, epilepsy
(seizure disorders), stroke, intellectual disability, moderate to severe developmental
delay, muscular dystrophy, or spinal cord injury.

Reminder: If you have symptoms of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) call your physician’s office ahead of your arrival. More resource information can be found at https://idph.iowa.gov/Emerging-Health-Issues/Novel-Coronavirus?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

There will be no masses at Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Atlantic and Saint Mary’s Catholic Church in Anita.  Bishop Joensen has cancelled all Sunday Masses. The faithful are dispensed of the obligation to attend Sunday Mass.

Atlantic School District Superintendent Steve Barber this (Sunday) morning, announced today’s performance of the musical “Little Shop of Horrors” at the Atlantic High School, has been called for this afternoon. Barber said in his statement, the move was due to “Precautionary measures and updated guidance from the Iowa Department of Public Health.”

Saturday night, Governor Kim Reynold said in a rare weekend Press Conference, that Iowans should not gather in crowds of 250 people or more, to hep prevent the spread of COVID-19 (The Coronavirus).

The was an 18th confirmed case of the virus announced Saturday, in a person 60-to 81-years of age, in Dallas County. The case was NOT connected to the other, cruise ship-related incidents of COVID-19.

The Iowa Department of Public Safety and the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau, says “If you are heading out to a St. Patrick’s Day celebration this year, make sure you have more than just the luck o’ the Irish on your side.” This holiday, March 17, 2020, is one of the biggest drinking nights of the year and this, unfortunately, means more impaired drivers on the roads. Drunk driving accounts for nearly one-third of vehicle related fatalities in the United States. Nationally, in 2018 alone, 73 people (39% of all crash fatalities) were killed in drunk-driving crashes over the St. Patrick’s Day holiday period and 33% of the pedestrians aged 16 and older killed in crashes had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at or above .08. In 2019 in Iowa, there were two crashes over the holiday which killed four people.

To combat the increased impaired driving around the holiday local law agencies will be stepping up traffic enforcement now through March 17, 2020. Officers will especially be watching for drunk and drugged drivers and anyone not wearing seat belts. Drinking and driving should never be combined. It’s essential to plan a sober ride in advance if the holiday celebration will include alcohol. The alternative could change your life, not to mention the lives of your passengers, pedestrians, or other drivers and passengers nearby. Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day responsibly!

The Iowa Department of Public Safety and the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau remind you, driving while impaired is illegal!

Police in Red Oak arrested a Pottawattamie County woman early this (Sunday) morning, on an OWI charge. 58-year old Dawn Leann Wells, of Council Bluffs, was taken into custody at around 1:15-a.m. following a traffic stop in the 2400 block of N. 8th Street, in Red Oak. Wells was charged with OWI/1st offense, and held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $1,000 bond.

Officials with the United Methodist Church said Saturday, that “Effective immediately, the congregations of the Manning United Methodist Church in Manning, and the United Church of Manilla, in Manilla, have suspended worship services through the end of March.” The move officials said, was in response to COVID-19 concerns. Pastor Joel Sutton said in the statement, “No one in our congregations have knowingly been exposed to this virus. This action is being taken simply as a recommended preventative measure of limiting social contact in large crowds.”

The suspension also includes Friday night worship at The Source. The regular worship schedule will resume April 5th. If you have any questions, contact the church office at 712-655-3928.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Lawmakers across all 50 states seeking to limit the public’s access to information will soon have more eyes watching their work. The National Freedom of Information Coalition is launching a new bill-tracking program that aims to identify, in real-time, all pieces of legislation that would affect government transparency in the states.

At a time when the number of reporters covering state government has dropped significantly, transparency advocates hope the program will allow them to more easily identify bills that harm or help the public’s right to know.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

JOHNSTON, Iowa (AP) — A Dallas County resident who hadn’t traveled out of state has tested positive for the coronavirus, marking the first “community spread” of the virus in Iowa. Speaking at a news conference in Johnston, Gov. Kim Reynolds said the 18th person who has tested positive for the COVID-19 was 61 to 80 years old. While others who tested positive had been infected after being in regions where the disease was more widespread, the latest case indicates the virus was becoming more common in Iowa. Reynolds said people should avoid gatherings of more than 250 people but she declined to cancel K-12 school unless more people tested positive.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Federal courts in Nebraska are nixing all jury trials and grand juries for the rest of the month in a move to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. Meanwhile, state courts in Iowa and Nebraska are taking some precautions. An order from Nebraska’s Supreme Court chief justice says those at elevated risk of transmitting COVID-19 are barred from attending trials. In Iowa, state courts may conduct meetings and hearings remotely. For most people, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. But for some people, it can lead to more severe illness, including pneumonia.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Wet, heavy snow blanketed much of Nebraska overnight into Saturday morning as a late winter snowstorm swept the state and headed into Iowa.  In eastern Nebraska’s Omaha, between 2 and 4 inches of snow fell overnight into late Saturday morning as the storm headed east in Iowa. Some areas southwest of Omaha saw event higher snow totals.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Omaha District says it has reached its goal of having the Missouri River mainstem levee system restored to its full height following massive flooding a year ago that devastated levees in Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri. The Corps said in a news conference Friday that while there is still much work to be done throughout the region, crews had closed 24 breaches along the main river system, spending more than $400 million to date on the work. District commander Col. John Hudson said crews have moved 4.73 million cubic yards of sand in the effort, “equal to two Empire State Buildings.”

DES MOINES – The Iowa Department of Corrections has been implementing measures, policies and protocols to prevent the spread and mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 in the state prisons.

Effective immediately, visiting has been cancelled at all state prisons until further notice. This is being done out of an abundance of caution for the department’s vulnerable population.

While most other correctional departments across the country have also suspended visiting, this decision is rarely easy. The DOC realizes the impact this can have on institution morale over time, and also knows the value of keeping inmates connected with their families. To help address this concern, the department has been exploring reduced cost or free phone calls, reduced cost O-mails, and is working to establish the capability for video visitations.

Regarding the department’s efforts to mitigate the impact of the virus on the prison population, Director Dr. Beth Skinner commented, “Our staff are taking every precaution within our power to ensure that the prisons are ready to prevent and respond to the introduction of COVID-19.” She also went on to say, “we are working closely with all relevant state agencies such as Iowa Dept. of Public Health and Homeland Security Emergency Management to ensure that we’re taking every step we can to minimize the impact that this virus will have on our population.”