The leaders of several Kane County communities recently teamed up for a short video to urge residents to stay home during the upcoming holiday season and reduce the spread of the coronavirus within the region — and to their loved ones.
St. Charles Mayor Raymond Rogina opened the video by explaining they are asking for residents’ “help in fighting this terrible COVID pandemic raging through our Fox Valley.”
“We need you to listen,” Rogina said.
Delnor Hospital in Geneva is “nearing capacity” amid a huge surge in coronavirus cases over the past six weeks, according to Batavia Mayor Jeff Schielke, while Geneva Mayor Kevin Burns highlighting the toll the pandemic is taking on health care workers.
“With respect to the physicians and nurses and professionals who care for those who are ill, they also have to worry about heading home to their families and worry about their health,” Burns said. “So please, ladies and gentlemen, if you’re thinking of going out, please don’t.”
South Elgin Village President Steve Ward, who owns a barbershop in Elgin, urged residents to think about those who are being affected the most by the coronavirus pandemic as they make their holiday plans.
“We have to look out for small businesses and health care workers and our vulnerable populations,” Ward said. “We can do that right now if we all follow the public health guidance.”
Rogina urged the entire region to unite behind a common goal: reducing the spread of the coronavirus by strictly adhering to public health recommendations.
“We must follow the experts’ guidelines if we have any chance of getting back to normal,” Rogina said. “Wear a mask. Stay 6 feet away from others. Wash your hands thoroughly. Use hand sanitizer when touching common surfaces. And please, stay home unless it is necessary to go out.”
Elgin Mayor Dave Kaptain told residents to think of alternative plans for the holiday season and make the most of a “stay-at-home Thanksgiving.”
“It’s time for us to not sit at the same table, potentially sharing a virus with our loved ones,” Kaptain said. “We want you to be able to share future holidays with your parents and your grandparents.”
As of Monday, if you were to attend an event in Kane County with 10 people, there would be a 38 percent chance that someone at the event would have the virus, according to a risk assessment tool developed by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology, the Applied Bioinformatics Laboratory and Stanford University.
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