The number of confirmed positive COVID-19 cases in Ellsworth County increased over the weekend.

At Monday’s meeting of Ellsworth County commissioners, Kerianne Ehrlich, supervisor of the county health department, said the two additional cases were connected to previous cases.

She said Ellsworth County now has a total of 13 cases — five are active and eight have been resolved. She said six more samples are scheduled for testing.

In other business:

• Ehrlich said she has fielded a number of calls recently from citizens concerned about the county’s decision to opt out of the requirement by Gov. Laura Kelly to wear face masks in public.

“I think it’s being portrayed that the county as a whole is not concerned with the health and safety of the citizens of our county,” she said. “I think when decisions are made like that people jump to conclusions. I just wanted to let you guys know that concern is out there.”

Ehrlich said she put out a clarification from the health department on the wearing of masks and the importance of doing so.

In the county resolution opting out of Kelly’s executive order, it was mentioned that the county strongly encourages the wearing of face masks, but is not mandating it.

Ehrlich said she is not wanting commissioners to change their decision.

“I agree, a mandate is horribly hard to enforce,” she said. “But I think just to get it out there that this wasn’t made to not look like we don’t care about the community.”

“People can wear a mask if they feel they need to,” Commissioner Kermit Rush said.

“I tell everybody it boils down to personal responsibility at some point,” Ehrlich said. “You have to choose whether you want to do it for the health and safety of yourself and others, or you don’t. It’s all a personal decision.”

• Approval was given to an agreement between the county and Sarah Goss as an independent contractor to help administer the $1.2 million Ellsworth County received from the state’s SPARK program.

“We have a plan to distribute the money across the county equitably,” said Stacie Schmidt of the Ellsworth County SPARKS task force.

• Schmidt said there still are no applications locally for the Kansas Department of Commerce CDBG-CV grant funding program for COVID-19 relief and she will keep providing information on the program to the public. The deadline to apply is July 31. Ellsworth County, the City of Ellsworth and the City of Wilson each received funding.

Schmidt encouraged business owners to talk to her about the program.

The next meeting of Ellsworth County commissioners will be at 9 a.m. Monday, July 20, at the county courthouse.