“We are reaching out to the doctors to set up a meeting with them,” he said.

In Hall County, where Grand Island is located, the first two confirmed cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, were announced March 26. A little more than a week later, the doctors said, the area overseen by the Central District Health Department had 47 confirmed cases, including one death.

Those who have tested positive include health care workers at the Grand Island Clinic and three nursing and rehabilitation facilities.

“COVID-19’s arrival has been much swifter than we ever imagined,” the letter says. “And, we know from very clear data from other places throughout the world, that the incidence is going to increase dramatically in the next two weeks if nothing further is done to mitigate the spread in our community.”

Hall County, population 61,000, is second only to much-larger Douglas County when it comes to confirmed coronavirus cases in Nebraska.