Due to Weather the DeKalb Health Department Stopped COVID-19 Testing Today (Monday) at 3 p.m.

November 29, 2020
By: Dwayne Page

The DeKalb County Health Department had planned to extend its hours for COVID-19 testing for Monday November 30 only from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. but due to the weather, the testing ended today (Monday) at 3 p.m.

The COVID related death count in DeKalb County since March is now 22.

(Click Link Below for DeKalb County Report)
https://covid19.tn.gov/data/dashboards/?County=Dekalb

There have been 1,173 confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19 since March in DeKalb County , 33 have been hospitalized, and 984 are now inactive or have recovered.

Over the last seven days, (November 23 to November 29) DeKalb County had a case count of 91 for a daily case rate of 63.4 per 100,000 residents.

Over the last 14 days, (November 16-29), DeKalb County’s case count was 202 for a daily case rate of 70.4 per 100,000 residents.

For the 14 days prior (November 2-15 ) the case count was 216 for a daily case rate of 75.3 per 100,000 residents.

From March 5 to November 29, 2020, DeKalb County has had a total of 1,173 confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19 for a daily case rate of 22.1 per 100,000 residents.

Over the last 7 days DeKalb County has averaged 70.86 tests per day (345.8 tests per 100,000 residents) and over the last 7 days the average percent positive was 15.3%.

November 29, 2020
By: Dwayne Page

After a week off for Thanksgiving, students will return to the classrooms at four of the five schools in DeKalb County on Monday, November 30. The exception will be DeKalb County High School which will be on virtual learning through Friday, December 11.

Students at Smithville Elementary School, which had been on virtual learning before the Thanksgiving break, will return to school in person Monday, November 30.

Director of Schools Patrick Cripps told WJLE Saturday that virtual learning at DCHS is due to the increased number of COVID-19 cases and quarantines among faculty and staff.

November 27, 2020
By: Dwayne Page

The DeKalb County Unemployment Rate went back up in October to 8.4% compared to 6.2% in September. The rate for October, 2019 was 5.2%.

The local labor force for October was 7,615. A total of 6,974 were employed and 641 were without work.

Many Tennessee counties experienced changes in their unemployment rates during October 2020, according to newly released data from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD).

Unemployment in 93 of Tennessee’s 95 counties increased in October. Davidson and Sevier counties saw their rates decrease during the month.

During October, two counties in the state had unemployment rates below 5%, 90 counties had rates of 5% or greater, and three counties recorded rates of 10% or higher.

Williamson County had the state’s lowest unemployment in October with a rate of 4.6%, which is up 0.8 of a percentage point from its revised September rate of 3.8%

Shelby County recorded October’s highest jobless rate in Tennessee. At 11%, the county’s unemployment increased by 0.7 of a percentage point when compared to the previous month’s revised rate of 10.3%.

Tennessee’s statewide unemployment rate increased during October. The preliminary, seasonally adjusted, statewide unemployment rate for October 2020 is 7.4%, an increase of 0.9 of a percentage point from September’s revised rate of 6.5%.

Nationally, unemployment decreased from September’s revised rate of 7.9% to 6.9% in October. The U.S. rate is 3.3 percentage points higher than it was in October 2019.

Tennessee employers are ready to help the state’s economy rebound by hiring individuals to meet their business needs. Jobs4TN.gov, Tennessee’s workforce development website, currently has over 240,000 open positions for workers of varying skill levels.

Jobs4TN.gov also offers online assistance with writing a resume that will catch the attention of employers, advice on how to engage and impress during job interviews, and details about potential job training opportunities.

There are more than 80 American Job Centers across Tennessee that are open for business and offering job seekers one-on-one personalized assistance. Career specialists are ready to work with individuals to devise a reemployment plan that will help them rejoin the state’s workforce.

All the assistance is free to anyone who needs help finding a new job or career path.