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DeKalb County Health Department Answers COVID-19 Questions Through Web Event

DeKalb County Health Department

Members of a northern Illinois health department held a web event Wednesday to answer questions about COVID-19. 

The event, part of Northern Illinois University’s STEM Café series, was an opportunity for the DeKalb County Health Department and the DeKalb County State’s Attorney to address resident concerns. Officials emphasized the importance of social distancing, and offered clarity on county testing, isolation, emergency response and the risk of exposure. The Department’s director of community health and prevention, Cindy Graves, explained: 

“So if you are less than six feet from someone for greater than ten minutes, they’re saying that your chances of exposure are greater. Contrast that to the measles, because with measles exposures, all you have to do is walk by someone and you are potentially exposed.”

Department officials also announced that they’ve distributed more than 16,000 PPE products from the Illinois Department of Public Health to county agencies, police, and long-term care facilities. 

Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital in DeKalb is also following new rules on employee protective gear. Graves says Kish’s policy matches new recommendations for employees in congregate settings.

“They went to the same guidance for the same employees. Their employees have to wear a surgical mask for the entire time that they are there. Any kind of barrier, filtration -- any of that kind of thing that we can do -- that’s what we need to be doing right now,” she said.