As public gathering restrictions have been lifted by Governor Kim Reynolds, Guthrie County Public Health is concerned about events being held this summer, specifically graduation parties.

Guthrie County has added at least seven positive cases in the last week, and Public Health Director Jotham Arber points out that the virus doesn’t spread on its own, but through human contact. Arber shares how his staff feels about graduation parties being held at this time, “Our biggest concern with graduation parties is for our population that’s most vulnerable. So that’s grandma and grandpa and some of our older relatives. You know our younger kiddos when they get this thing they tend to get over it pretty quick. They don’t have a lot of symptoms but they tend to pass it along.”

Arber urges the more vulnerable residents in the county to take precautions when they get that open house invitation. He says face masks should especially be worn if a party is inside, and to keep six feet away from others. Other youth-centric events that public health has kept a pulse on are the baseball and softball seasons. Arber says the county has been fortunate that a few potential COVID-19 cases from local teams turned out to be negative. He adds, the saving grace of those sports is that they are held outside and there is typically room for spectators and teams to spread out.