It’s pretty much official now — COVID-19 is here.

On Monday, the Minnesota Department of Health listed confirmed cases in Murray and Pipestone Counties. Lincoln County is now at two and Lyon County rose to four cases. Yellow Medicine County still has one case.

But remember, those are just confirmed cases. More than likely, there are others in our region infected with the virus. They are either waiting for test results, or they are asymptomatic and don’t realize they are carrying the virus.

Now is not the time to get careless. Continue social distancing. Limit your trips to the grocery store. If you need groceries, consider ordering them and picking them up outside the store. Otherwise, send just one person from the household to the store to limit the number of people inside the store at one time.

Even inviting family members outside your household or friends over for get-togethers can be risky.

Above all, continue to wash your hands often and cover you cough or sneeze.

Following these recommended guidelines will protect us, our loved ones (especially the elderly) and eventually flatten the curve.