As Knox County COVID-19 cases rise, Danville closes municipal building

With the number of COVID-19 cases increasing in Knox County, the Village of Danville has closed its municipal building to the public at least through the end of November.

The decision was made after Knox County Public Health Director Julie Miller asked community leaders to “do their part” in reducing the spread of the virus, Danville mayor Joseph Mazzari told the Mount Vernon News. The village anticipated that it might have to close the municipal building and had already developed alternative protocols for serving the public.

“Honestly, it wasn’t a real hardship for us to close,” he said. “It was more falling in line with what the health director was requesting.”

Although COVID-19 cases have risen countywide, they have remained relatively low in Danville, which has a population of about 1,000.

“As I understand it, Danville’s numbers have stayed low,” Mazzari said. “It hasn’t really exploded or anything. I don’t find our community to be struggling like many other communities.”

The village has a drop box for paying bills to the village, the mayor said.

“You can also pay your bills at Hometown Market, our local grocery store,” he said. “If they need to communicate with the clerk or deputy clerk, they can call in, they can email.”

Additionally, village council meetings are already held online.

“We’ve got Zoom set up and we’ve gone back and forth between Zoom and in-person meetings,” Mazzari said. “We’re just back to Zoom again.”

On Nov. 12, the State of Ohio elevated Knox County to red level COVID-19 status. There are now 68 of the state’s 88 counties classified as red.

"The move to red means there is a very high exposure to COVID-19 in Knox County,” Knox Public Health said in a news release.

“Unless, it is absolutely necessary, we are recommending that residents postpone or reschedule all gatherings, personal and professional — and if people do get together, everyone needs to be masked and socially distanced,” Knox County Health Commissioner Julie Miller said. “It is through gatherings — personal and professional — that people are becoming infected.”

Gov. Mike DeWine issued a mask mandate for all retail employees and customers. Stores that violate the order will receive a written warning for the first violation and can be closed for up to 24 hours after the second violation.