Mayor: City, local officials meet to prepare for local COVID-19 infections
By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio
Tuesday, March 10, 2020 — At Tuesday’s Bardstown City Council meeting, Mayor Dick Heaton told the council about a meeting at City Hall that brought together first-responders, city and county officials with medical personnel and the Lincoln Trail District Health Department.
The meeting’s goal was to be sure local agencies had plans in place and were prepared in the event of an outbreak of the corona virus, otherwise known as COVID-19.
“I thought it was important that our first-responders, 911 dispatch, the hospital, and physicians to hear from Lincoln Trail Health Department about the Corona virus situation,” Heaton told the council.
The Lincoln Trail Health Department is the regional office that is the local, direct link to the Center for Disease Controll (CDC).
The situation is fluid and evolving rapidly, Heaton explained. At the time of the meeting, there were no known virus cases in Kentucky, but by that afternoon, the first case had been diagnosed.
During the meeting, health department representatives provided best practices from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on ways to stop the spread of the virus.
The spread of the virus this is a rapidly changing situation, and much is still being learned about COVID-19. While this situation poses a serious public health threat, health department officials said they believe the risk to the Kentucky public is believed to be low at this time.
The meeting also included a list of the things citizens can do to stop the spread of the disease.
These include:
• Practice good hand washing with warm water and soap or alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently-touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
• The CDC does not recommend the use of face masks or respirators among the general public to protect themselves from respiratory viruses, including COVID-19. Masks should be reserved for people who are sick, so they can protect others from getting infected.
LATEST INFO ONLINE. Gov. Andy Beshear’s administration has a website devoted to the COVID-19 virus and its impact in Kentucky. To keep updated, visit www.kycovid19.ky.gov.
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