by Emmitt B. Feldner
for The Beacon

SHEBOYGAN – The County Board and county officials received affirmation from a constituent Tuesday for their handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

“I think you’ve all done an outstanding job navigating through this,” Sheboygan resident Jessica Huss told the board in a public address.

The Army National Guard veteran who served in the 32nd Military Police Co., including a deployment to Baghdad from 2002-04, likened the COVID-19 crisis to a war situation.

“It’s a whole life and death situation and the odds are not in your favor,” Huss said of both her unit’s deployment during Operation Iraqi Freedom and the current pandemic.

“I know it feels like this is never going to end (but) Iraq felt like it would never end either. Eventually it did end and this will too,” Huss told the board.

She noted that her Guard unit, which trained Iraqi police during its deployment, encountered many difficulties and overcame numerous obstacles to accomplish its mission, earning some of the highest commendations from the Army for their work.

She likened that favorably to the county’s effort in leading the response to the pandemic locally.

Huss particularly praised the county’s efforts at communicating with residents throughout the past eight months.

Working with private sector leaders, including the heads of Kohler Co. and Sargento, the county is creating a series of public service announcements seeking compliance with guidelines to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Additionally, the county is increasing the number of billboards around the county with COVID-19 information from two currently to 14.

The National Guard continues to man a COVID-19 testing site at the county’s Aging and Disability Resource Center in Sheboygan Falls two days a week. The county is waiting for word on what further financial help might be coming from the federal and state governments for local governments dealing with the pandemic.

“We’ve spent over $4 million on COVIC since March,” Payne reported.