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City Receives Blue Shield Designation: The City of Lake Ozark and Lake Ozark Police Department are honored to have been named a Missouri Blue Shield City by Missouri Department of Public Safety.Of this designation for our agency and community, Police Chief James Boren says "I'm honored to accept this Blue Shield City designation, which reflects the outstanding work of our Board of Aldermen, city staff, and police department working in partnership. This recognition from Governor Kehoe and the Missouri Department of Public Safety validates what I've observed throughout my 20-year career here—our community's growing commitment to public safety. During my tenure as chief, I've seen firsthand how the dedication of our officers, combined with incredible community support, creates the foundation for this kind of recognition. This achievement belongs to everyone who has contributed to making our city safer."The Missouri Blue Shield Program, created by Governor Kehoe in January 2025 through Executive Order 25-03, recognizes local governments that make significant efforts to reduce crime, foster law enforcement collaboration, and build strong community partnerships for public safety. “Public safety is the foundation of a thriving community and state. It affects everything from families feeling secure to businesses having the confidence to invest and grow,” said Governor Kehoe. “We designed the Missouri Blue Shield Program to recognize communities that go above and beyond in creating a place where people want to live, work, and build their futures. A Missouri Blue Shield designation is a testament to the hard work and dedication of local governments across Missouri who are leading the way in making public safety a priority.”“The Department of Public Safety is proud to work alongside communities like Lake Ozark, that have shown exceptional dedication to enhancing public safety,” said Mark James, Director of the Missouri Department of Public Safety (DPS). “This program is about fostering collaboration between local law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve. Our goal is to support these efforts, providing resources and guidance to help communities build sustainable, long-term solutions for crime reduction and public safety.”Communities are eligible for a Missouri Blue Shield designation based on their dedication to reducing crime, making substantial investments in public safety, and developing strong collaboration with law enforcement agencies and community stakeholders. Each participating community’s commitment will be reviewed annually to ensure continued alignment with the program’s goals. Communities that earn a Missouri Blue Shield designation will receive grant funding for law enforcement training and equipment as part of Governor Kehoe’s Recommended Budget for the State Fiscal Year 2026. Communities will also be featured on Governor Kehoe’s social media pages as well as the DPS website to highlight their participation in the program. The City of Lake Ozark earned a Missouri Blue Shield designation due to its exceptional commitment to public safety. Through officer recruitment and retention efforts, introduction of our K9 program, increased funding to public safety, and an enhanced approach to community policing, we have demonstrated a strong and ongoing commitment to protecting our residents and visitors.

TEST TW WEATHER

Posted on by dan

Update: What you need to know about COVID

As the cases of COVID-19 in the lake area began to decline last spring, we hoped we’d never have to write another word about protecting the public and taking personal responsibility.

But COVID hit close to home last week when someone attending the standing-room-only July 27 board of aldermen meeting at the Lake Ozark City Hall informed us they had contracted the virus. We immediately posted a note on the city’s Facebook page and on our website to alert anyone who had attended.

In addition, the number of positive cases has increased in the lake area over the last few weeks according to the Miller County Health Center and Lake Regional Health System COVID dashboards.

City officials also reached out to Lake Regional for an update on COVID 19 guidelines.

The City of Lake Ozark has provided links to the Miller County Health Center and Lake Regional Health Systems every Monday for several weeks. These are the most reliable and local sources of information available. 

Miller County Health Center:

http://millercountyhealth.com/covid-19-dashboard

Lake Regional Health Systems:

https://www.lakeregional.com/health-resources/covid-19.

As always, we urge you to make informed, rational decisions and take personal responsibility in protecting not only yourselves but those around you.

 

What to consider  
(Note: Sources for the following in formation are the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Lake Regional Health System in Osage Beach.)

•Getting vaccinated prevents severe illness, hospitalizations and death. •Unvaccinated people should get vaccinated and continue masking until they are fully vaccinated. With the Delta variant, this is more urgent than ever. The CDC has updated guidance for fully vaccinated people based on new evidence on the Delta variant. 

•Individuals who are vaccinated do not need to quarantine unless they have symptoms. 

•Symptoms are presenting a little differently than before. It isn’t just fever and loss of taste/smell. Symptoms can look more like regular sickness or allergies including headaches, scratchy throat, sore throat, minimal cough and body ache.

•If you are fully vaccinated, you can participate in many of the activities that you did before the pandemic.

•To maximize protection from the Delta variant and prevent possibly spreading it to others, wear a mask indoors in public if you are in an area of substantial or high transmission.

•Wearing a mask is most important if you have a weakened immune system or if, because of your age or an underlying medical condition, you are at increased risk for severe disease, or if someone in your household has a weakened immune system, is at increased risk for severe disease, or is unvaccinated. If this applies to you or your household, you might choose to wear a mask regardless of the level of transmission in your area.

•You should continue to wear a mask where required by laws, rules, regulations, or local guidance.

 

Have you been fully vaccinated?

In general, people are considered fully vaccinated:

•Two weeks after their second dose in a two-dose series such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or;

•Two weeks after a single-dose vaccine such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine

•Anyone who does not meet these requirements, regardless of age, is NOT fully vaccinated. Keep taking all precautions until you are fully vaccinated.

•If you have a condition or are taking medications that weaken your immune system, you may NOT be protected even if you are fully vaccinated. You should continue to take all precautions recommended for unvaccinated people until advised otherwise by your healthcare provider.

 

If you’ve been fully vaccinated:

•You can resume activities that you did prior to the pandemic.

•To reduce the risk of being infected with the Delta variant and possibly spreading it to others, wear a mask indoors in public if you are in an area of substantial or high transmission.

•You might choose to wear a mask regardless of the level of transmission if you have a weakened immune system or if, because of your age or an underlying medical condition, you are at increased risk for severe disease, or if a member of your household has a weakened immune system, is at increased risk for severe disease, or is unvaccinated.

•If you travel in the United States, you do not need to get tested before or after travel or self-quarantine after travel.

•You need to pay close attention to the situation at your international destination before traveling outside the United States. 

•You do NOT need to get tested before leaving the United States unless your destination requires it.

•You still need to show a negative test result or documentation of recovery from COVID-19 before boarding an international flight to the United States.

•You should still get tested 3-5 days after international travel.

•You do NOT need to self-quarantine after arriving in the United States.

•If you’ve been around someone who has COVID-19, you should get tested 3-5 days after your exposure, even if you don’t have symptoms. You should also wear a mask indoors in public for 14 days following exposure or until your test result is negative. You should isolate for 10 days if your test result is positive.