“Until there’s a vaccine or a prophylactic treatment ... we’re going to be dealing with this”

Though Iowa is now well on its way to loosening restrictions and reopening, public health directors in southeast Iowa are urging people to continue taking precautions and using their best judgment when deciding to go out or partake in activities.

'COVID hasn't gone away even though we're reopening. It's still in our community and we still have to do social distancing, wearing masks and continue to do cleaning and hand-washing,” Shelley Van Dorin, Henry County Public Health Director said.

While it can be easy to be lulled into a sense of safety with the reopenings, Washington County Public Health Director, Danielle Pettit-Majewski added it's important to remember why closures were enacted in the first place.

'Essentially, it was to avoid the overwhelm of the health care system. It was an opportunity to make sure we have enough personal protective equipment and staff. That was what that time was for - to be prepared for cases to continue to come in. It's not gone, it's still circulating,” she said

Both Van Dorin and Pettit-Majewski added each individual or family must make considerations based on their circumstances. Those more vulnerable (i.e. older individuals or people with chronic conditions), may want to consider staying at home as much as possible and adhering by social distancing guidelines to protect themselves.

'We're vectors - we can shed the disease, we can carry it from one thing to another and can spread without knowing that we have it. That's part of what makes it challenging,” Pettit-Majewski said.

Christine Estle, Jefferson County Public Health Director, also noted 'returning to normal doesn't mean we can be like the normal before COVID,” and added there will probably be a continued awareness of the virus for the rest of time.

'Just because we can, doesn't mean it's best for us or our family situation. People are going to have to make difficult decisions,” Estle said.

Pettit-Majewski said it's difficult to know exactly 'when the right time” to reopen is and would have liked to see more modeling but understands for some people, the restrictions had difficult consequences for their well-being, both mentally and financially.

'There's a lot of people struggling - people who need to get back to work, who are concerned about losing their small business. Or people isolating alone, it's been very challenging for their mental health. We're trying to find that balance between mitigating risk and how we offset … despair, because those are public health issues,” she said, 'We're all in the same storm, but not everybody is in the same boat. Some are watching the storm from the safety of their yacht, others are holding onto a buoy.”

All three directors reminded people to continue following hygiene recommendations such as thorough hand-washing, keeping social distance when in populated areas and wearing cloth masks when unable to keep social distance.

'I think if you're going out, wearing a cloth mask is very beneficial as a collective. The more people who wear masks, the more the risk is reduced,” Pettit-Majewski explained.

With the reopenings, both Estle and Pettit-Majewski anticipate seeing a spike in cases. Estle said her department is closely monitoring neighboring counties, including nearby Wapello, which currently reports 514 cases to Jefferson County's 18.

'Different parts of the state have peaked. If you look at Wapello, it's foolish to think that's not going to impact our community,” she said.

Pettit-Majewski said while she anticipates seeing case counts go up, she is not sure 'what to expect.”

'I think it'll be interesting to see what happens in two weeks,” she said, which would be when the incubation period would end following the reopenings.

Looking forward, the Washington County Public Health Director added doctors from the coronavirus task force have said the fall may be a particularly rough season as a second wave of the virus on top of influenza season is expected.

'Truthfully until there's a vaccine or a prophylactic treatment, some sort of a confirmed treatment, we're going to be dealing with this,” she added.