PHOTO OF THE DAY: SIGNS OF THE TIME

These signs outside Rural Medical Clinics in Freeman instruct visitors what to do amidst continuing precautions about the spread of COVID-19. Numbers continue their upward tick with local public schools dealing with the crisis on a constantly changing basis. Freeman Public is offering both in-person and remote instruction, with those choosing to come to school doing so on a rotation basis. Eight students and a half-dozen staff members have tested positive for COVID in the last 10 days, with additional confirmed cases coming Monday. At Menno, 40 students were excluded from school activities at the start of the week because of either confirmed cases or close contacts, although Superintendent Tom Rice said 11 of those have reached the eighth day of the 14-day exclusion and have opted to return to in-person instruction, per district policy, and wear a mask. Rice also said three staff members were out of the building on Monday with three others having returned from quarantine.