During today’s press conference, Governor Reynolds announced that effective May 15 all restrictions that were lifted in the 77 are expanded statewide (meaning restaurants and fitness centers can open at 50% capacity). Additionally, salons, spas, and barbershops are allowed to open statewide, as long as they follow certain guidelines (guidelines which I haven’t seen yet). Bars and casinos will remain closed.

The Governor’s office is typically slow to publish the relevant proclamation, so I haven’t seen the official text yet. However, I wanted to send this out to you. Reading Article 1 from the April 27th proclamation (which lifted restrictions in the 77 counties) will provide some idea of what today’s proclamation will say: https://governor.iowa.gov/press-release/gov-reynolds-signs-new-proclamation-continuing-the-state-public-health-emergency-0

Some general guidance for businesses to follow was discussed during the press conference. Some statements included:

Ensure frequent cleaning, sanitizing establishments
Ensure hand washing and sanitizing supplies are available for customers and staff
Provide visual reminders for staff and customers to stay 6-feet away from others.
Allow or require the use of masks or face coverings
Develop appropriate leave policies and allowing staff to stay home when they are ill or have been in close proximity to a confirmed case.
Ask customers not to enter if they have been in close proximity to a confirmed case in the last 14 days, or if they themselves are not feeling well.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Decorah Public Library

202 Winnebago Street

Decorah, IA 52101

CONTACT:    Kristin Torresdal, ktorresdal@decorah.lib.ia.us

563-382-3717

DATE:            12 May 2020

RE: Decorah Public Library announces next steps

The Decorah Public Library will continue to be closed to the public but will open exterior book drops and begin accepting returned library materials on Monday May 18. The move is part of a phased expansion of services unanimously approved by the Library Board of Trustees at their Monday May 11 meeting.

Library staff request that materials be returned gradually so that they are able to keep up with the processing and quarantining of items as they come back. Patrons with last names beginning A-M are asked to return items May 18-24 and patrons with last names beginning N-Z are asked to return items May 25-31. All materials will be quarantined for a minimum of 72 hours before being reintegrated with the rest of the library collection. Beginning June 1, items may be returned to the two exterior library book drops at any time.

A projected June 1 start date for curbside pickup of library materials has also been announced, with details about the procedure for requesting and picking up items to be solidified by the end of May.

Library Director Kristin Torresdal said “We are working hard to prepare appropriate procedures for material returns and curbside pickup, with the safety of patrons and staff taking top priority. With the addition of curbside pickup, we will again be performing all of the essential services outlined in our mission statement despite the necessary ongoing closure of our building. We will continue to offer online programming, tech help, expanded ebook, audiobook, and film content, plus wifi access around the perimeter of our building.”

The phased expansion of services plan includes six stages, the first three of which- preparation, returns, and curbside pickup- were approved for implementation by the Library Board, with the inclusion of additional language that allows for plan modifications based on new data, public health guidelines, and best practices according to professional library organizations. The Board will discuss progress, new developments, and implementation of additional phases at their June 8 meeting.

When curbside procedures are finalized, that information will be made available on the library’s website, social media, and in local media outlets.

Contact Torresdal at ktorresdal@decorah.lib.ia.us with questions.

Gundersen Winona Campus opens May 18

Gundersen Health System brings expanded care to thousands of people when it opens its state-of-the-art new Winona Campus on Monday, May 18.

The new 90,000-square-foot facility at 1122 W. Hwy. 61 brings specialty care closer to home for Winona area residents. The first phase of services began Dec. 2 with Urgent Care, Laboratory, Imaging and Infusion.

“It is wonderful to reach the culmination of our plans to open a new facility to better serve our patients in Winona and surrounding communities,” said Gundersen Health System Chief Executive Officer Scott Rathgaber, MD. “This facility extends Gundersen’s 30-year commitment to care in the community and delivers on our promise to bring care close to home. We are delighted to be expanding our care and making it more convenient for our patients and their families to remain healthy.”

Services opening May 18 include:

• Audiology
• Cardiology
• NEW Dermatology
• Ear, Nose and Throat
• NEW Family Medicine
• NEW Internal Medicine
• Neurology
• Occupational Health
• Oncology
• Orthopedics/Sports Medicine
• NEW Pediatrics
• Pediatric Asthma, Allergy, Immunology, Endocrinology and Gastrointestinal
• Physical and Occupational Therapy
• Podiatry
• NEW Retail Pharmacy
• Rheumatology
• Urology
• Vision Center

Services opening at later dates include:

• NEW Chiropractic
• NEW Gastroenterology
• NEW General Surgery
• NEW Mammography
• NEW Obstetrics and Gynecology
• NEW Outpatient Surgery Center
• NEW Pain Medicine
• NEW Sleep Medicine

“As the COVID-19 pandemic reaches our region, it’s more important now than ever to offer outstanding care close to home, both in our Winona facility and with local clinicians online through video visits,” said Bryan Erdmann, vice president of Gundersen Operations and Regional System. “Gundersen’s investment in Winona brings new and expanded services to meet the needs of our patients closer to where they live. A consolidated campus reduces how far Winona and surrounding area residents travel to receive outstanding care and supports our dedication to reduce the cost of care.”

Gundersen Dental Specialties, which includes orthodontics, oral surgery, dental implants and more, will remain in downtown Winona at the 111 Riverfront Building.

For more, visit gundersenhealth.org/winona

SHERIFF’S OFFICE

COUNTY OF VERNON

1320 BAD AXE COURT

VIROQUA, WISCONSIN 54665

JOHN B. SPEARS, SHERIFF           NATHAN CAMPBELL, CHIEF DEPUTY SHERIFF            

2020 ANNUAL VERNON LAW ENFORCEMENT MEMORIAL

                                 SERVICE HELD VIRTUALLY – MAY 12, 2020, 10:00 AM

May 12, 2020

Vernon County Sheriff John B. Spears reports the week of May 10-16 is National Police Week.  Annually, officers who made the ultimate sacrifice serving their communities are honored this week.  Over thirty years ago, retired Sheriff Geoffrey Banta began holding local services not only to honor the fallen, but to thank all officers, in all of our communities, for facing every-day conflicts and dangers.  This tradition continued under the leadership of Retired Sheriff Gene Cary and now current Sheriff John Spears.

Sheriff Spears says this uninterrupted tradition of honor and appreciation will continue and this year is no exception.  A virtual ceremony will be held today, May 12^th, at 10:00 AM via video.  We regret the community cannot attend, but we hope the video will cause you to pause, honor the memory of the fallen, and thank those who continue to serve during these challenging and uncertain times.

Sheriff Spears would like to thank all law enforcement, in all of our communities.  Normally, each and every law enforcement agency throughout the county are represented at our annual service as well as our formal Honor Guard.  We would also like to thank Lieutenant Jason Crume for planning and logistics throughout the years.

Sheriff Spears would like to thank Vernon Communications

Cooperative.  Not only did Vernon Communications loan us their

video equipment, their Video & Digital Media Coordinator edited the

video creating an excellent finished product.  The video will also air on

Community Channel 14 starting tomorrow, May 13^th, at 10:30 AM, and again Friday, May 15^th, at 5:00 PM.

Video link: https://youtu.be/Tad_z6OsNqQ

/s/ John B. Spears, Sheriff

Shellabration 2020 Canceled Due to COVID-19
Cheap Trick with special guest 38 Special rescheduled for 7/2/2021
Fort Dodge, Iowa
After “exhaustive ongoing discussions and careful consideration”, the Shellabration
Inc. Board of Directors has made the difficult decision to cancel this year’s
Shellabration and Downtown Country Jam events. “The health and safety of our
attendees, volunteers, sponsors, contractors and community will always be our
highest priority, said Shellabration Inc. President, Jim Reed. With the ongoing public
health threat due to COVID-19 unlikely to subside any time soon, canceling was
both the responsible and conscientious thing to do. Even if large scale events were
hypothetically permitted later this year, the social distancing requirements would
make attempting to stage an event with several thousand people untenable,” added
Reed.
In addition to the compelling public health risk, the organization also considered the
long-term financial ramifications, were the State of Iowa to permit large scale
gatherings at some point this year. “With significantly lower sponsorship and ticket
sale revenue due to the current economic climate, we would be putting our ability to
stage future shows at risk, said Shellabration Inc. VP, Ted Bodensteiner. While we
could cover the loss with our cash reserve in the short term, to jeopardize
everything we’ve built in the past 19 seasons was a chance we weren’t willing to
take,” underscored Bodensteiner.
While disappointed to have to cancel their events for 2020, the upside is the group
was able to get all of their artists rescheduled for Shellabration 2021. Next year’s
event will take place on Friday, July 2, 2021 featuring Cheap Trick with special
guest 38 Special plus Saucy Jack. “The bands and agencies were great to work
with in getting our date rescheduled, said Reed. We’re incredibly excited to keep
our lineup intact. The fact that July 2nd falls on a Friday next year versus a Thursday
in 2020 is an added bonus,” he added. All tickets purchased for this year’s event
slated for 7/2/20 through Ticketweb will be automatically refunded to the credit card
they were purchased on. There is no action required to receive a refund. The
physical tickets received for 2020 cannot be used in 2021. New tickets will need to
be purchased. Tickets for next year’s event are tentatively scheduled to go on sale
Saturday, February 27, 2021.
“We hope the public will respect and support our decision to cancel and live for
another day, said Reed. Having survived severely weather impacted events over
the years, we thought we’d seen it all. Never could we have imagined having to
cancel an event due to a global pandemic. That said, we’ll learn from this
circumstance and continue working diligently to produce the highest quality shows
possible for the greater Fort Dodge and Northwest Iowa area. Fort Dodge ROCKS,”
emphasized Reed.
Shellabration Inc. Ÿ PO Box 752, Fort Dodge, IA Ÿ (515) 570-0176
Serving the Fort Dodge area community through performing arts & entertainment!

To provide better access to testing for patients, a COVID-19 drive-up testing site is now available on Gundersen Health System’s La Crosse Campus.  

The testing site is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The same prescreening protocol remains in place for triaging patients for testing, but now they will have the option to go to Onalaska or La Crosse. On weekends, Onalaska will remain an option for testing. Testing is also available for pre-screened patients at several regional locations.

Patient should call their primary care provider or Gundersen Telephone Nurse Advisors 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at (608) 775-4454 or (800) 858-1050. Virtual care options are also a convenient way to connect. Visit gundersenhealth.org to experience our commitment to providing care anywhere for patients.

Website: www.mhcfair.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/MHCFair
HOWARD COUNTY AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY
THOMAS V. BARNES, EXECUTIVE SECRETARY
Post Office Box 83, Cresco, Iowa 52136
Home Phone: 563.547.4996 Fax: 563.547.4355 E-mail: tbarnes@mhcfair.com
2020 Mighty Howard County Fair Postponed to 2021
Cresco, Iowa – May 10, 2020: The Howard County Fair Board has announced that the 2020 Mighty Howard County Fair
will not be held this year. Events and entertainment will be postponed until June 22 to 27, 2021.
“To say we’re disappointed is an understatement.” said Tom Barnes, Executive Secretary of the Board. “But the
health and safety of our community is our top priority. Taking into consideration all of the factors the Board had
to look at in dealing with the COVID 19 pandemic, this is the right decision.”
The decision by the Fair Board was made after much time and effort was spent consulting with the Association of
Iowa Fairs (AIF), the International Association of Fairs and Expositions (IAFE), the State of Iowa and Howard
County Public Health and Emergency Services.
“The Fair should be a time for celebrating the accomplishments of our area 4-H and FFA exhibitors, highlighting
the ethnic and cultural diversity of our Howard County community and a time when fairgoers can get together in
a family atmosphere to enjoy all of the sites, tastes and sounds of a great county fair.” Barnes said. “The last thing
the Board wants to do is to create an atmosphere of concern and anxiety.”
The decision was not made lightly, not only taking into consideration of the safety of those directly involved with
the Fair, but also realizing the impact the Fair has on the community and county. “The Board does understand this
decision could have a negative economic impact on our Fair vendors and local businesses who depend on the Fair
for their livelihood,” Barnes noted. “However, the safety of our community is our first and foremost concern.”
The Fair typically draws fairgoers and vendors from Iowa and several other states, with roughly 60 percent of the
fairgoers are coming from outside of the community. Current safety guidelines relating to the COVID 19 pandemic
that are in place by the State of Iowa and Howard County Community Health makes it an overwhelming task for
the Fair Board to ensure the Fair would be a safe and positive event for the community. “The guidelines in place at
this time put a great deal of risk on the Fair Board,” Barnes added.
“This pandemic is an unprecedented event for our generations. By working together, we will get through it. We
need to use what we have learned from this pandemic to better our lives.” Barnes said. “The Fair will back in
2021, stronger than ever.”

Gundersen providing limited in-person care

Patient and staff safety top priorities at all locations

Gundersen Health System is proving limited in-person care, with a focus on low-risk, high-priority patients while continuing its response to COVID-19 and care for those impacted by the virus.

The safe, careful approach to resuming in-person visits and expanding virtual care options are part of a long-term strategy to restore Gundersen operations and respond to our patients’ care needs.

The pandemic has shown our world the importance of virtual options – and that includes healthcare. For the care that can be provided at home, Gundersen brings providers to patients by video. Our patients’ response to the virtual care options has been remarkable, with more than 650 virtual care stations for our staff up and running to provide convenient video visits across the system.

“We remain committed to our plan to carefully and safely resume services beginning with low risk, high priority cases. We will test our designs for the safety of our patients and staff and expand as we believe best serves our patients and the community,” said Gundersen Chief Executive Officer Scott Rathgaber, MD.

Gundersen has taken every precaution to keep patients and staff safe at locations across the system. For patients: please don’t let concerns about COVID-19 prevent you from getting the care you need, especially urgent or emergency care. We are prepared to care for you safely and ensure your health and well-being at the Gundersen location nearest you.

Thank you for your assistance in keeping our communities healthy and safe. Continue to wash your hands and observe social distancing. We will get through this together. Gundersen and the local healthcare community are here to care for you, safely and close to home.

More online

For information on Gundersen visitor guidelines, face coverings and much more, visit gundersenhealth.org/covid19

Patients have many options for your care. Visit gundersenhealth.org/care to learn more.

They can also call (608) 782-7300 and ask for the Virtual Care Support Team at extension 70130 or visit gundersenhealth.org/care/skype-visits for more information.

Good afternoon Partners.

I wanted to take time to share a few resources with you. As always, continue to watch Governor Reynolds’s press conferences each weekday at 11 a.m. Reference https://coronavirus.iowa.gov/ for the latest information for Iowa.

Governor Reynold’s Proclamation

Today, Governor Reynolds loosened restrictions for all counties in Iowa, including Fayette County. This restriction has eased businesses, restaurants, campgrounds, malls, fitness centers, libraries and race track restrictions as long as they follow specific guidelines. Again, the eased restrictions on religious gatherings and farmers’ markets apply to ALL 99 counties if they can adhere to the guidelines in the Proclamation. Within IDPH clarification, weddings and funerals are permitted as a religious gathering; however, receptions and visitations must adhere to the 10 and under gathering rule (rolling receptions/visitations with 10 people in and out are still allowed). Gatherings of more than 10 people continue to be prohibited.

See the Governor’s full Proclamation: https://governor.iowa.gov/press-release/gov-reynolds-signs-new-proclamation-continuing-the-state-public-health-emergency-0

 Check out our EOC saying hello attached😊

Thanks,

Jes

JESSICA WEGNER, RN

GPCH Coordinator – Fayette County Public Health

200 Jefferson Street, West Union, IA 52175      

Phone: 563.422.6267 ext 64681    Fax: 563-422-9876    jlwegne1@gundersenhealth.org

PRESS RELEASE

From: Allamakee County Emergency Management Agency and AGRISTAR

The following press release is provided for public dissemination:

The following release was done in cooperation with AGRISTAR and is in reference to the testing done at the AGRISTAR facility on Tuesday 5 May 2020.

On Tuesday 5 May 2020 COVID-19 testing was conducted at AGRISTAR in cooperation with the Iowa Department of Public Health and other State agencies.  AGRISTAR had requested this testing in April but was unable to have testing done until early May due to testing being done in other facilities across the state first.  This testing was requested as an additional step in the plants efforts to protect its employees and ensure its ability to continue operations and is not part of the Test Iowa Initiative.  Over 400 employees of the facility were tested and all testing was voluntary with the first of these results possibly being available as soon as Friday 8 May.  Employees were tested to see if they currently may have the COVID-19 virus or if they have had it in the past.  The test results will allow AGRISTAR to determine their employees’ health status and to assess any additional preventative measure efforts that may need to be taken in protecting its workforce health while maintaining critical operations in the country’s food chain.

No further information is available at this time.