MADISON COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — COVID numbers are on the rise again. Several counties in central Kentucky are back in the CDC’s red zone, which shows a high community COVID level.
Fayette, Woodford, and Clark counties are all in the red, while several other surrounding counties show yellow, or medium, COVID levels.
Travelers at a Madison County gas station can't imagine cases going back up.
Ohio traveler, Justin Stanley, says COVID was, "Horrible, people getting sick, people dying, especially if it's somebody close to you -- so I don't know, it's crazy."
Another woman traveling from Florida, Christy McBride, says cases among children have gone up -- and people have not been masking. Her 10-month-old granddaughter had the virus twice.
Christy McBride says, "It was terrible, it was terrible. Our granddaughter was in the hospital for 10 days and it ended up....it messed up her gastro system."
Madison County’s community levels are back in the yellow, that's a medium risk. One thing the Madison County Health Department is recommending is masking up indoors, especially when you're around a group.
Kelley McBride, with the Madison County Health Department says, "Stay home when you're sick and follow the isolation and quarantine guidance and getting tested if you know you've been exposed to COVID-19."
The Madison County Health Department offers take-home COVID tests both in Richmond and in Berea. At-home tests have impacted the COVID case numbers reported in the area.
"Well those numbers are not reported so, we do not know exactly the number of tests that are being taken and reported. But the CDC is taking that into account too,” says McBride.
If someone does test positive at home the health department recommends letting your health care provider know. Madison County's Health Department wants to keep the community educated -- reminding them the COVID pandemic is not over.
With so many resources and tools, Kelley McBride says, "We're at a much better place now, so it's easy for people to let down their guard -- but we would just encourage people to stay aware."
For more COVID-19 resources you can check out some helpful tools on the Madison County Health Departments' website.
Leaders are encouraging people to make themselves aware of COVID cases in the area and about what they should do if they test positive.
