Warren County has seen its second-worst day in the months-long COVID-19 pandemic Friday, as 46 new cases were confirmed by state health officials.

This spike in numbers not only continued a trend in recent days, but it has also pushed local leaders to move faster with measures aimed at trying to curtail the spread of the virus.

Mayor George Flaggs Jr. said Friday, after seeing the recent case numbers, he has decided to move up his press conference, scheduled for Monday at 2 p.m., to today at 4 p.m. 

Flaggs is expected to announce changes to the city’s civil emergency order aimed at slowing the COVID-19 virus. Flaggs declined to say what measure or measures he will announce but said the new order would go into effect Saturday at noon.

“This latest report is the primary reason for moving up the press conference and implementing the new measures,” Flaggs said Friday morning. “I am also canceling the First Friday Block Party scheduled for tonight in downtown.”

In addition to the 46 new cases Friday, the state also reported one additional virus-related death in Warren County, pushing the total number of deaths to 59.

The new cases Friday also inched the county closer to being declared a virus hot spot by state officials. In the past two weeks, the county has reported 204 new cases of COVID-19, and a ratio of 418.26 cases per 100,000 residents. The state has said that any county that has more than 200 cases in a 14-day period and a ratio of more than 500 cases per 100,000 residents could see additional restrictions from the state.

Currently, there are 54 counties that are under strict state orders.

The last week has been among the worst thus far during the pandemic, as the county has seen more than 20 new cases per day; a level the county has not seen since mid-August.

The current one-day record for new cases in Warren County is Aug. 8, when 56 cases were reported.