Staff Reports

A total of 26 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Bailey County as of Tuesday morning, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Local and state officials continue to monitor the steady rise of cases in Muleshoe and across the rest of Bailey County, according to a news release posted on the City of Muleshoe Police Department’s Facebook page last Wednesday.
Muleshoe Police Department published a video on Facebook the next day of PD Chief Gary McHone addressing actions the city is taking to keep track of the cases and to keep the community informed.
“The reality is that COVID-19, also known as Corona(virus) is probably going to be here for a while,” McHone said in the video, which is roughly three-and-a-half minutes long. “The common phrase that we always hear and always use is this is kind of the new normal. So we are going to have to kind of get sued to that and adapt to that but we’ve also got to be able to carry on with our lives and be able to do what we need to do because of that.”
He encouraged the community to continue taking social distancing measures, to continue wearing facial covers out in public and to utilize hand sanitizers and proper hand hygiene to prevent the spread.
He noted that last week was the 12th week for Muleshoe and Bailey County to deal with the virus and acknowledged some confusion voiced by citizens interested in learning more but getting information from several different places. That’s why, he told a Muleshoe Journal reporter on Tuesday morning, the Muleshoe/Bailey County Emergency Mgmt. Facebook page was started.
Moving forward, he hopes that page will become a central information hub Bailey County for local officials to share the latest updates to keep citizens informed.
Every week on that page, McHone said, he also hopes to share video of a weekly update in which he will speak to citizens on-camera. He anticipates those videos to be published with the latest information every Thursday. The next one is set to come out tomorrow (Thursday).
Little additional information has been officially released regarding the current COVID-19 cases in the county.
The latest infographic of COVID-19 cases in Bailey County – which was released last week – shows that as of June 2, there were a total of 23 confirmed cases, 11 recoveries and 12 active cases in the county. It also shows a total of 246 COVID-19 tests had been administered. Those numbers do not reflect the latest numbers published by the Texas DHS.
It’s unclear where those cases have been detected but the Muleshoe Area Medical Center noted on its Facebook page on June 3 that eight of its employees had tested positive for the virus.
In that post, the medical facility also encourages people who have visited the hospital or clinics to get tested. It also notes that those who have tested positive have been under quarantine and that employees are being screened every day and are following strict Centers for Disease Control-issued guidelines to ensure safety for all.
The clinic has also undergone a deep cleaning.
Those interested in making an appointment can call (806)272-7531.
The Muleshoe Country Club also posted on its Facebook page on Monday to inform that an individual who tested positive for coronavirus had visited the club’s pro shop on June 5. The club was closed for deep cleaning on Tuesday.
Moving forward, Muleshoe and Bailey County citizens are encouraged to stay up-to-date on local virus activity by following the Muleshoe/Bailey County Emergency Mgmt. Facebook page.
On Tuesday, Chief McHone also noted that city officials are currently working on putting together an educational video — to be released in both English and Spanish — regarding what happens after a person tests positive for COVID-19.