County, city record 16 new cases

The Virginia Department of Health reported Thursday morning that Wise County’s total confirmed COVID-19 cases in the months since the pandemic began had risen to 2,988, or 12 more than reported Monday.

The county’s total number of deaths associated with COVID-19 was revised backward by one to 92. The reason was not immediately available.

Meanwhile, the health department’s cumulative positive case count for Norton increased by four to 253.

The number of total deaths in the city remained at six.

Statewide, the total number of confirmed cases across several months rose from 482,186 Monday to 485,037 Thursday, an increase of 2,851. The number of “probable” cases rose from 134,323 Monday to 135,764 Thursday, an increase of 1,441.

The number of confirmed COVID-19 deaths in Virginia increased by 44 to 8,614. The number of probable COVID-19 deaths increased by five to 1,654.

To look at the health department’s data, visit www.vdh.virginia.gov and go to the COVID-19 Data and Resources section.

REMINDERS

The state health department reminds citizens that an executive order is in effect requiring people to wear cloth face coverings while they are in indoor public spaces.

“Cloth face coverings can help protect the people around you,” the department explains on its website. “Many people with COVID-19 have no signs or symptoms and can pass the virus to others without knowing it. When we talk, sneeze, or cough, tiny droplets that contain the virus can be carried into the air. Wearing a cloth face covering helps stop those droplets from going into the air or landing on surfaces.”

In other words, wearing a face mask is intended to protect not yourself, but those around you. Refusing to wear a face mask in a supermarket, convenience store, pharmacy or other indoor public setting means that you are putting those around you at greater risk.

Although the executive order has been in place since late May, those traveling around Wise County and Norton continue to frequently encounter people who enter public indoor facilities without wearing a face covering. While businesses have posted signs near entrances reminding patrons of the mask requirement, actual enforcement remains spotty at best.

Anyone who is concerned about others not being required to wear a face mask indoors can file an online complaint by going to https://redcap.vdh.virginia.gov/redcap/surveys/?s=Y4P9H7DTWA.