Riley County COVID-19 numbers continue to rise locally, with now 61 active cases, and 132 total cases in the county since the pandemic began. Those were the latest figures as of Monday afternoon. (Earlier in the day, it was mistakenly reported that active cases were at 25.)
“We had a huge jump in our cases over the last week. We added a total of 47 new cases just last week, we tested a total of 320 (individuals),” said Riley County Health Officer Julie Gibbs Monday on KMAN.
Gibbs says as of last week the county was at a 14 percent positive rate compared to a 2 percent rate three weeks ago. Of the 132 cases, Gibbs says 60 percent are males and 40 percent are females. Most of the new cases coming in are younger individuals between 18 and 24. A number of them have come from being at social gatherings at local bars and restaurants.
Some Aggieville businesses including Taco Lucha, So Long Saloon and Varsity Donuts have shut their doors temporarily out of an abundance of caution after the health department announced many of the new cases involved individuals who had recently visited Aggieville.
A viral video posted to Snapchat over the weekend and shared by City Commissioner Aaron Estabrook shows crowds gathering at several bars, with no signs of any observed precautions by patrons. Estabrook commented the area is “skidding towards another stay at home order, because people couldn’t be bothered to maintain a little bit of distance and wear a mask. It’s not that hard. It really isn’t.”
