Johnson County Public Health officials are seeking to nearly double the number of close-contact tracers as COVID cases rise with the delta variant.

“We are seeing a dramatic increase in cases,” Sam Jarvis, Community Health Division Manager, Johnson County Public health, told the Board of Supervisors at its work session on September 1.

As of September 3, the positivity rate in Johnson County had risen to 9.01% and the number of cases were 340. It is the highest number of cases in the county since early 2021.

Jarvis said the Public Health Department is hoping to increase its number of close-contact tracers from 18 to 30. Per U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines, close contact means being near a COVID-positive person for at least 15 minutes. After that contact, a quarantine of 14 days is recommended by the CDC.

The close-contact callers assist in monitoring positive cases and contacts.

“At this point, things are tight,” Jarvis told the board. “I’d say staffers are feeling the stress and pressures. The public is also upset. For the most part, people are not willing to pick up the phone. They’re not wanting to go through the investigation. And we get that. It’s been stressful and tough. We know that if we can get people to answer the phone and we can talk them through their individual situation, we can provide them the guidance and recommendation so they can protect themselves and others.”

Since the school year began on August 23, more than 40 positive cases have been identified in Iowa City schools. Lone Tree schools have reported as many as three positive cases among students and one among staff.

“We recognize there’s a strong desire to go back to normal,” Jarvis said. “But we’ve seen a lack of masking. We know that people are tired. We know that people are still going to work and school and daycare ill. We’ve really got to remind everyone that we still have to take that layered approach with all the mitigation measures on top of vaccinations.”

Masks are required in Johnson County government buildings, and in most cities in the county. Lone Tree is among the few that has not issued a mask mandate in city buildings. In other buildings and public settings, masks are recommended.

Lisa Green-Douglass, a county supervisor, said some business owners are unaware of the mask recommendations and that the public health department should find ways to directly communicate the mask guidelines to businesses.

At its formal session on September, 2, the board issued proclamations honoring Recovery Month, Labor Day and workers’ contributions, and Welcoming Week, a county-wide celebration from September 10 to 19.

The board’s monthly night meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Thursday, September 9. Among the items on the agenda are several zoning and plat applications.