County News Coverage: COVID-19

Management & Administration

County News

Counties make use of coronavirus funding

Counties with populations of more than 500,000 received direct allocations from the Coronavirus Relief Fund, which totaled $150 billion among state and local governments. Here's how a few allocated their CRF payments.

Labor & Employment

County News

Local government jobs decline for second consecutive month

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its monthly jobs report for May, reflecting a dramatic change of course in labor market conditions, but not for local governments. On top of approximately 800,000 local government jobs lost in April, local governments lost another 487,000 in May.
Education & Training

County News

Counties help guide fall school reopenings

County health departments are providing guidelines to help school districts form strategies for reopening to keep students, teachers and staff safe.
Human Services

County News

Faces on the Front Lines: Child protective caseworker Christina Lee

A child protective caseworker in Oswego County, N.Y. shares a day in her life.
Human Services

County News

Counties step up mental health services

As demand for mental health services increases as a result of economic uncertainty and social isolation, the ways to provide it get more inventive and efficient.
Health

Aaron Cignarale trains a class of colunteer contact tracers at the Monroe County, N.Y. public health building. Photo by Brett Dahlberg

County News

Contact tracers work to notify public, limit COVID-19 spread

Contact tracing is one of the crucial components to limiting COVID-19 spread.
Telecommunications & Technology

Orange County, N.Y. Health Commissioner Irina Gelman and County Executive Steve Neuhaus view data from the health department's mobile app that provides county residents with information related to COVID-19. Photo courtesty of Orange County

County News

Counties turn to apps, alert systems in pandemic

When combating the impacts of a global pandemic in the 21st century, counties are turning to innovative tech to provide accurate information to county residents. “With the ability to use apps — the sky’s the limit,” according to Rich Collins, director of Emergency Services for Sarasota County, Fla.

Hero 1

About Mary Ann Barton (Full Bio)

County News Editor & Senior Writer

Mary Ann Barton is the County News editor and senior staff writer and is returning to NACo after previously working at the association. She comes to NACo after covering local news for Patch.com in Northern Virginia.

More from Mary Ann Barton

More from NACo

Explore all of NACo's Coronavirus resources.

View all

Intergovernmental Affairs

Reports & Toolkits

NACo Legislative Summary of the Senate COVID Relief Package: The Health, Economic Assistance, Liability Protections & Schools (HEALS) Act

The HEALS Act would provide $1 trillion in funding to target key aspects of the nation’s coronavirus response and efforts to reopen the economy
Tax & Finance

Reports & Toolkits

Comprehensive Analysis of COVID-19’s Impact On County Finances and Implications for the U.S. Economy

Counties lead the local public health response and contribute to, and are impacted by, local economic activity across the nation. The COVID-19 pandemic has called counties to action and led to additional financial responsibilities, which may continue in waves.
Community & Economic Development

Reports & Toolkits

Local Governments Continue to Lose Non-Education Related Jobs, Despite Continued Recovery of Other Major Sectors

Local Governments Continue to Lose Non-Education Related Jobs, Despite Continued Recovery of Other Major Sectors
Health

Reports & Toolkits

NACo Brief: Nursing Homes and COVID-19

This brief provides an overview of the COVID-19 Crisis in Nursing Homes, and highlights federal guidance released to date that helps nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities mitigate the spread of COVID-19. It also contains data on cases in nursing homes, an overview of relevant federal legislation, and a best practice example.

Justice & Public Safety

An officer at the Sheriff’s Office in Cass County, N.D. takes the temperature of a
colleague to monitor for possible fevers consistent with COVID-19 symptoms. Photo courtesy of the Cass County, N.D. Sheriff’s Office

County News

Faces on the front lines: Cass County Sheriff Jesse Jahner

As sheriff of Cass County, the most populous county in North Dakota, Jesse Jahner is a face on the frontline leading both the sheriff’s office and correctional facility during a situation that was hard to predict when he was elected.
Management & Administration

County News

COVID-19: Counties move to ‘next normal’ as they reopen

With almost all states beginning to reopen in some manner, counties are following reopening strategies as the situation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic progresses.
Health

Commissioner John O’Grady tours the 1,000-bed overflow surge hospital facility at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Franklin County, Ohio. Photo by CTV Columbus Government Television

County News

Counties build overflow hospitals to aid in possible virus surge

Counties have adapted large-capacity facilities to serve as triage centers, should a surge of coronavirus patients overwhelm their health care systems.
Resiliency

Leon County Emergency Management Director Kevin Peters stands in the emergency operations center following its activation during Hurricane Michael in October 2018.

County News

Natural disaster planning takes on urgency during pandemic

Lawrence County, Miss. Emergency Management Director Tony Norwood’s county was hit with not one severe weather event in April, but three — two tornadoes and a severe storm — all in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Management & Administration

Martinez poses with Williamson County, Texas Animal Services staff member Shyah Johnson. Photo by Shyah Johnson

County News

County animal shelters focus on fostering

Finding foster homes for pets has benefitted residents and helped county animal shelters protect staff members.
Health

County News

County public health team sidelined by COVID-19

Right when the Toledo-Lucas County, Ohio Health Department was standing up to face the COVID-19 pandemic, the virus started knocking its personnel down.
Community & Economic Development

County News

County campaign calls for businesses to follow effective COVID-19 health standards

Problem: The COVID-19 outbreak has shut down businesses, causing unsafe health environments for those that remain open and impacting local economies.
Telecommunications & Technology

A Polk County public school bus serves as a rolling Wi-Fi hotspot to provide wireless access to students throughout Polk County, Fla. Photo by Stacy DaSilva, WFLA

County News

Broadband demands during COVID-19 reveal disparities

As the COVID-19 situation brings increased demands in teleworking, virtual learning and even telemedicine, counties are turning to public hotspots to meet the needs of residents.

More News from NACo

Education & Training

County News

Counties help guide fall school reopenings

County health departments are providing guidelines to help school districts form strategies for reopening to keep students, teachers and staff safe.
Management & Administration

County News

COVID-19: Counties move to ‘next normal’ as they reopen

With almost all states beginning to reopen in some manner, counties are following reopening strategies as the situation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic progresses.
About NACo

Blog

2020 NACo Achievement Award Winners

NACo is pleased to announce the winners for the 2020 Achievement Awards. NACo recognized 541 entries from counties and state associations in 30 states.
Management & Administration

County News

Counties make plans to reopen

Some counties are laying out standards for COVID-19 contagion and response that they must meet before businesses can gradually reopen.
Telecommunications & Technology

Blog

NACo Technology Support: COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly changed how county government conducts business and how IT supports those changes. Many of you have rapidly increased county employees teleworking, creating an overwhelming demand for secure remote connections, such as virtual private networks.
Elections

Montgomery County, Md. Deputy Director of Elections Alysoun McLaughlin speaks during a March 3 Capitol Hill briefing on county elections. Photo by Denny Henry

County News

Federal funding not reaching county elections departments

Most election functions counties carry out haven’t gotten outside support in a while.
Human Services

Arapahoe County, Colo. Commissioner Nancy Sharpe greets St. Charles Parish, La. Sheriff Greg Champagne during a March 3 briefing on Capitol Hill. Looking on is Ed Zackery, veterans service officer, Medina County, Ohio. Photo by Denny Henry

County News

Proposed policy change aims to fix loss of benefits for pre-trial detainees

NACo and the National Sheriff’s Association joint task force took their cause of jail health reform to Capitol Hill, discussing a proposed policy change that would reinstate federal health care benefits for non-convicted justice-involved individuals.
Transportation & Infrastructure

Rep. Sam Graves, Jr. (R-Mo.), speaks to NACo members March 3 during a transportation briefing on Capitol Hill. Photo by Denny Henry

County News

Transportation allies give voice to wish lists

Counties are eager to see what will reauthorized the current surface transportation bill, which expires in September.

Explore all News

County News Sections

County Innovations and Solutions

Open data portal brings transparency to county medical examiner’s office
The HR Doctor is in

Protecting your county employees from COVID-19

Download Latest PDF

Aug. 2, 2020 | View Issue

Explore the Archive

Counties are on the front lines protecting our communities from the coronavirus and other illnesses that have the potential to become a pandemic. Counties support over 900 hospitals and operate over 1,900 public health departments, which are the ground troops in the fight against the coronavirus outbreak.

Local health departments are working to protect public health by communicating with transportation officials, educating health care providers and communicating to the public best practices to reduce the spread of infectious diseases. Local public health systems need sustained, predictable and increased federal funding to support their work.

COVID-19: COUNTY AND STATE EMERGENCY DECLARATIONS

CDC Resources	Main Page Cases in the U.S. Situation Summary Implementation of Mitigation Strategies for Communities with Local COVID-19 Transmission Resources for Healthcare Professionals Resources for Healthcare Facilities Information for Health Departments Information for Travel Information for Businesses Work, School and Home Guidance Communication Resources
Other Resources	Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center Article: Coronavirus Measures for U.S. Local Leaders to Consider World Health Organization News Room Esri COVID-19 GIS Hub Witt O’Brien’s Community Preparedness Resources Nationwide: Avoiding Headline-Driven Investment Decisions
Public Health Preparedness and Response Resources	The President’s Coronavirus Guidelines for America: 15 Days to Slow the Spread Public Health Emergency Response Guide for State, Local and Tribal Public Health Directors CDC’s Public Health Emergency Preparedness Clearing House CDC Resources for Emergency Health Professionals

Contact Information

Mary Ann Barton

County News Editor & Senior Writer

(202) 942-4223
Charlie Ban

County News Digital Editor & Senior Writer

(202) 942-4210
Rachel Looker

Staff Writer

(202) 942-4215