Scurry County will begin loosening some quarantine rules for retail businesses Friday, while most restrictions will remain in place until Tuesday, commissioners decided Tuesday morning;. In doing so, they ignored health care officials’ recommendation that the Stay Home, Stay Safe order be extended for at least two more weeks.
Local restrictions that will be loosened this week involve retail businesses not involved in person-to-person contact. Examples of businesses that will remain closed include barbershops and beauty salons, and tattoo parlors.
“We’re going to follow along with the state and do retail-to-go, basically,” County Judge Dan Hicks said. “If you’re a customer of a retail store that we’re allowing to re-open, you’ll be able to go and pick up outside — you won’t be able to go into the store — or you’ll be able to have it delivered by mail or delivered to your doorstep.”
During the meeting, Hicks suggested extending the order two weeks. Commissioners, as well as citizens present at the meeting, favored the one-week extension rather than two, along with loosening restrictions on some businesses starting Friday.
“I’ve been talking to a local health authority, and I’ve been talking to other leaders in the community, the city, the hospital, the college, the schools, and they all feel like we should follow the course that we’ve been following, at least for the next two weeks,” Hicks said. “I know it’s a difficult path that we have been following, but that’s kind of the recommendation that we’re getting right now.”
Auto Clinic owner Sarah Jamison and Scurry County Gin director Dan Evans disagreed.
While thanking Hicks and the other commissioners for allowing local businesses more leeway, Jamison argued for more consideration for business concerns.
“I do not feel a decision should solely be based on one side of things,” she said. “While it is extremely important to receive advisement from the medical side, I also believe we should have other input in this decision. Our small business owners are saying, ‘Let us open.’ Give us guidelines to follow like Wal-Mart and United, and let us get back to work.”
Evans also argued against a long extension of the local quarantine.
“I am against a 30-day extension,” he said. “We have to keep in mind, we’re only 30 days into this whole deal, and it seems like six months. So to sit here today and extend it by another 30 days will have a devastating impact. In Scurry County, you’re more likely today to come in contact with a rattlesnake than the COVID.”
Commissioners Craig Merritt, Shawn McCowen and Jim Robinson all voiced support for extending the quarantine by one week, before Commissioner Terry Williams made a motion to begin loosening restrictions on retail businesses Friday and revisit the quarantine Tuesday.
Hicks said one reason he suggested two weeks is that Scurry County could be in line to receive expanded testing in a week.
“Last week, the governor said they’re going to start testing in rural communities, and they’re going to do widespread testing,” he said. “It looks like they will have a number you can call in if you’ve had symptoms.”
Hicks said testing could involve Texas National Guard units coming to Scurry County to conduct drive-thru testing of local residents.
“The testing would be sometime next week, either right before or right around the time we would have another meeting,” he said. “So keep that in mind as we go forward. I’ll let you know for sure within the next day or so if we’re one of those communities that is going to be tested.”
Commissioners unanimously approved a one-week quarantine extension.
EMS Director Jason Tyler presented a new ambulance program for people without government-based insurance. Tyler said the plan would allow the private and self-pay customers to deduct 30 percent from their ambulance services, and then pay the remaining 70 percent in three monthly installments.
Commissioners unanimously approved the program.
In other business, the commissioners voted to employ the Austin-based legal firm of Allison, Bass and McGee LLP for assistance with the County Transportation Infrastructure Fund for 2020 county road repair grants.
Commissioners also accepted a $2,969 donation to the Scurry County Senior Center and authorized the Austin-based law firm of Bickerstaff Heath Delgado Acosta LLP to serve as the county’s bond counsel on a contingent-fee basis; approved receipt of an insurance payment of $3,887 for the ambulance that was damaged in a wreck; and approved receipt of a $109,120 grant to purchase an ambulance.
Line Item Transfers
$7,085 to part-time payroll from elections at the County Clerk’s office for payroll for election workers.
$1,000 to other equipment less than $1,000 from building grounds and maintenance at Scurry County EMS to cover equipment cost less than $1,000 to replace broke or antiquated equipment.
$767 to investigative expense from witness expense at the District Attorney’s office.
$4,400 to operating supplies from miscellaneous maintenance and repairs, asset purchase and education and training at Hermleigh Water Works, to pay for purchases.
Budget Amendments
$113,007 to vehicle expense and capital outlay $5,000+ at Scurry County EMS to place the certified revenue (accepted during the meeting) into the necessary revenue lines for repairs made to the wrecked ambulance and the purchase of the new ambulance paid for by grant funds.