By Editor | December 30, 2020
By Mark Evans
mevans@stegenherald.com
Blindsiding America and the world, the novel coronavirus called COVID-19 became a focus of local attention at the beginning of March.
Sandra Bell, executive director of the Ste. Genevieve County Health Department, began updating the County Commission twice a week on the situation and addressed the Ste. Genevieve Board of Aldermen meetings regularly.
She first met with them on March 2 and reported that Missouri had just reported its first case. There were 164 cases nationally, although that figure had doubled in one day. Bell noted that figures “change almost hourly.”
COVID-19 test kits were ordered and the battle against the virus began.