Putnam County was increased to the “red” alert level, or level three, on Ohio’s county by county COVID-19 alert map.

Hancock County remained at level two, or the orange level.

State data show there have been 371 cases in Putnam County and 17 deaths.

The Putnam County Health Department says the county has had an increase of 80 cases from Wednesday, August 26th to Wednesday, September 2nd.

The governor’s office this week said Putnam County has had the highest occurrence of the virus in the state over the last few weeks based on population.

People are being reminded to wear a face mask, wash their hands and maintain social distancing, especially with the Labor Day holiday approaching.

The governor says the state saw a jump in cases a few weeks after the 4th of July holiday.