Commissioner: No state of emergency in Washington County
Washington County has yet to take a certain extreme measure in response to the spread of the novel coronavirus COVID-19.
“We are not declaring a state of emergency until we are at the approach of meeting the threshold of what our supportive services can bear,” Diana Irey Vaughan, who chairs the county commissioners, said late Saturday afternoon.
Following declarations to that effect in neighboring Fayette and Westmoreland counties, Irey Vaughan met with key Washington County officials to determine courses of action moving forward.
“We just want to make sure that all of our T’s are crossed and I’s are dotted, and that we’ve thought about everything from school lunch programs for the kids to senior housing facilities,” Commissioner Nick Sherman, who participated in the meeting, explained.
Among the issues discussed was the suspension of congregate meals at the county’s senior centers, which is likely to begin Tuesday, according to Irey Vaughan.
Also recommended is “that outside visits be suspended at our senior high-rises with the exception of medical and food delivery,” she said.
“We talked about the food delivery system for school-age children who would qualify for free breakfast and free lunch, to ensure that their needs will be met,” Irey Vaughan continued. “We talked about a partnership with high school students of driving age who are in need of community service hours to step up and help us deliver food to our seniors and those in need.”
Longtime county public safety director Jeff Yates said his department has undertaken considerable preparation with regard to COVID-19.
“We’ve been proactive on this for about the last six weeks. We’ve had a lot of meetings dealing with what we want to do internally, as well as what we’re going to do externally,” he said. “Probably one of the key things we’ve done is have meetings with our county hospitals, county health department and two of the largest physicians’ groups within the county to talk about what we’re going to do and how we’re going to handle any potential outbreak.”
He offered a degree of optimism.
“At this point, we feel we have things well in hand,” Yates said. “The one message we really need to get out to people is, there is no need to panic. There is no need to hoard items. Essentially, people just need to maintain their day-to-day routines, wash their hands, basic personal hygiene. If you’re sick, stay away from other people.”
Irey Vaughan made further recommendations.
“We want to make sure that individuals know that if they are presenting symptoms, they should call their physician’s office. If they do not have a physician, they should call the department of health,” she said. “Instead of showing up at a physician’s office or a doctor’s office, they should call first. If they are experience severe respiratory distress, that is the instant where they need to seek immediate medical attention.”
On Friday, the county announced the first presumptive case of COVID-19, meaning that the condition is assumed because an individual has been in contact with someone who has tested positive and has presented symptoms. Confirmation has not been received yet from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In Greene County, where no cases have been reported so far, Commissioner Betsy Rohanna McClure said that officials plan to meet Sunday to discuss similar matters about how to proceed with ensuring the safety of the public.