A COVID-19 exposure alert has been issued in the area.

In cooperation with Deon’s Bar and Grill in Pilot Grove, the Cooper County Public Health Center has announced that patrons who visited the facility on Thursday December 31, 2020, January 1 and 2, 2021, may have been exposed to the COVID-19 virus.

Patrons are encouraged to call into the health center at (660) 882-2626 or log into the office website: <https://coopercountypublichealth.com/>; then click on contact. Your message will be confidential. Submit your name, e-mail address, and under comments- your home address, phone number and add your information of which event you attended. If you do not have access to the internet, call (660) 882-2626.

If you are experiencing even one symptom, you are urged to seek medical care. If you are not feeling well; have a sore throat; cough; headache; sinus pressure; nausea or vomiting; shortness of breath or difficulty breathing; loss of smell or taste; fever; chills; fatigue; diarrhea; or backache, contact your physician for an order to seek PCR nasal testing in Columbia at either MU, Boone Hospital or Urgent Care clinics. The PCR nasal swab test is better suited in this situation. The Cooper County Public Health Center also has testing available. You can call (660) 882-2626 for appointments.

The CDC recommends all individuals get tested if they have been exposed to a known positive case.