Grayson County officials hold briefing to update impact of COVID-19 on local area

grayson-county-government-logo-03-18
grayson-county-government-logo-03-18

At a COVID-19 briefing Tuesday morning at the Grayson County Government Building Annex, Judge-Executive Kevin Henderson, Grayson County Health Center Director Josh Embry and County Attorney Jeremy Logsdon gave updates on the local impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

In his opening remarks, Henderson squashed rumors that someone from Grayson County has been diagnosed with COVID-19, as the judge said the person diagnosed is in Grayson County, Texas.

Grayson County Health Center

The health department and county government have received personal protective equipment from the federal government to disperse to local agencies “as needed,” Embry said about the equipment vital to protecting healthcare workers and the most vulnerable among the population.

Embry stated that the Grayson County Health Department has set-up a hotline to specifically answer COVID-19 questions – 270-899-0467.

The hotline will be operational during the following hours:

  • Monday through Wednesday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
  • Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
  • Friday from 7:30 p.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Embry said in an effort to “address harmful rumors in the community,” his agency has created a web page to tackle rumors and other potential falsehoods. The page may be found at graysonhealthcenter.org\isittrue

“We’re trying to stay on top of those rumors so if you hear something that just doesn’t seem right, go to that website and if we don’t have it listed let us know through social media and we’ll try to see whether or not it’s true, and we’ll post it as a harmful rumor if it is.”

The Grayson County Health Center’s regular number is 270-259-3141.

Factory details

Henderson then addressed the current operational procedures being utilized by three of the major factories in Grayson County.

“Most all factories here in the county are operating on normal hours, with precautions,” (set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the respective company’s human resources departments), Henderson said.

He noted adjustments made by the following factories in response to the COVID-19 pandemic:

  • Bel Brands is utilizing partial shifts during normal operating hours, with precautions.
  • MTD has closed its manufacturing line, but maintenance and shipping and receiving personnel remain on the job, with precautions — Erica Creech, Corporate Communications and Marketing Manager for MTD, told K105 on Tuesday that the company is considered essential because it delivers products to multiple retail outlets, including Home Depot and Walmart.
  • Plastikon will be closed for two weeks coinciding with Toyota Motor Corporation’s temporary shutdown of manufacturing facilities. The company will reopen on April 6.

Video of briefing:

By Ken Howlett, News Director

Contact Ken at ken@k105.com