Do not panic.
That is the word from state and local officials as Kentucky continues to deal with COVID-19 virus with six confirmed cases to date. Three of those cases are in neighboring Harrison County but no cases have been recorded in the Buffalo Trace Area of Mason, Bracken, Fleming, Lewis and Robertson counties.
“This was expected and we are ready,” Gov. Andy Beshear said Monday. “There is no need to panic. I urge people to stay calm and practice good hygiene. I don’t think Kentucky has been hit harder than other states. We have been more active and aggressive in the way we are responding.”
Despite the threat, reports of people buying up supplies of everything from toilet paper to peanut butter are circulating. Many stores are sold out of hand sanitizer and there are also reports of price gouging on internet sites selling supplies such as the alcohol-based hand cleaner and medical face mask.
And while the risk remains low for contracting the virus, the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions are the most at risk. Many area nursing and rehabilitation homes have instituted measures to protect vulnerable residents.
At Maysville Nursing and Rehabilitation, measures recommended by the American Health Care Association and the Kentucky government to restrict all non-essential visits have been put into place.
”We ask that you be considerate of all involved and comply with these measures,” a statement on its Facebook page reads. “If you are immediate family or friend who will need to visit for a critical issue, the administrator or designee will determine if the visit is essential.”
Pioneer Trace Healthcare and Rehabilitation has adopted similar measures.
“As of March 10, visitation will be kept to emergent cases only so that staff and residents are kept safe during this time,” a post on its Facebook page reads. “If you do visit, speak with one of our managers for information about how we are trying to keep people safe during the COVID-19 virus. “
Visitors to the nursing home will be required to complete a screening and questionnaire with staff before visitation can occur. In addition, the front door of the facility is now locked.
Vanceburg Rehabilitation and Care is restricting visitors as a precautionary measure, and under advisement from AHCA. The facility is temporarily prohibiting all non-essential visitation at their community. Essential visitors are defined as individuals not employed by the facility who assist in the coordination of care for the resident. All essential visitors will be screened by a medical professional upon entry.
The Mason County Detention Center will use coronavirus screening forms from Southern Health Partners which provide health services at the jail, according to information provided by Jailer Lisa Kern Yeary on Tuesday.
Mason County Attorney John Estill suggested a meeting with Yeary, his office and law enforcement officials to explore ways to reduce the inmate population in light of the coronavirus scare. He also said Yeary should be added to the list of community stakeholders who will meet later this week to discuss preparedness.
Buffalo Trace Health District Director Allison Adams said her agency continues to monitor the situation and that the department’s response team checks in twice each day. The department continues to distribute educational information, she said.
Frequent hand-washing remains the best defense against COVID-19, Adams said. Other recommended measures include:
— Maintaining social distancing.
— Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth.
— Cover your cough, cover your sneeze.
— If you have fever, cough and difficulty breathing seek medical care early.
The Fleming County School District has cancelled two trips as a precaution against COVID-19.
According to a letter from Simons Middle School Principal Whitney Wilson, the eighth grade trip to Washington D.C. has been cancelled.
“Dr. Creasman has requested that all trips out of state be cancelled or rescheduled,” she said. “All trips that are outside of Fleming County are also being reviewed. Only necessary trips will be permitted to continue as we prepare for the uncertainty of the new Coronavirus. Student safety is always and will always be the number one priority of the Fleming County School District and Simons Middle School.”
Wilson also said the district is working with the travel company to come up with a solution for payments that have already been made.
Fleming County High School Principal Stephanie Emmons also announced cancellation of the senior trip to New York City.
“It is with a heavy heart to inform you that out of caution for public health, we have decided to cancel the senior trip that was to take place April 6 through April 10 in New York City,” she said. “Moreover, students requiring educational enhancement opportunities will not be approved for those dates as well.”
In addition to the cancelled trips, Fleming County Schools Superintendent Brian Creasman said the school district is taking precautions and wants to assure the public there are no cases inside the district.
“To be clear, there have been no confirmed cases of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Fleming County or Fleming County Schools,” he said. “Yes, we have a plan that we are ready to operationalize if we need to close school. Currently, we are meeting with faculty and staff to ensure that everyone is on the same page and informed.”
Creasman said the district does not use non-traditional instruction days, but is preparing to do so in the event the state provides allowance for statewide NTI days.
In Bracken County, Bracken County Nursing and Rehabilitation Center is also taking precautions. The center posted a letter from Signature Healthcare, the center’s parent company, about all Signature centers.
“The safety and well-being of our residents and stakeholders is always our top priority,” the company said in the letter. “We are taking a proactive approach in preventing and, if necessary, defending against this virus through intense monitoring, education and awareness.”
According to the letter, anyone showing symptoms of fever, cough, runny nose, runny eyes or sneezing is asked to reschedule visits until they are symptom free.
Bracken County Schools Superintendent Jeff Aulick also recently sent out a letter updating parents on COVID-19.
“Our school nurses are working closely with our local medical providers and the Bracken County Health Department to monitor the health of our students,” he said in the letter. “At this time, we do not have any confirmed cases of the Coronavirus in our schools. Because of this, our school custodians have increased their cleaning and disinfection efforts in all buildings as well as hand sanitizing stations have been added throughout all buildings this past week.”
According to Aulick, any child is diagnosed with flu-like symptoms or other illnesses is asked to contact the school nurse, so the number of cases can be monitored.
Augusta Independent School Superintendent Lisa McCane also released a letter to parents regarding COVID-19.
According to McCane, there are no cases in the AIS district, but administration is taking precautions.
“The school custodians and staff have increased their cleaning and disinfectant efforts throughout the school,” she said. “Our school nurse will be visiting every classroom to review the recommendations from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention on how to prevent the spread of viruses like the Coronavirus and flu. All students and staff will practice recommended preventative actions to avoid the COVID-19.”
Robertson County Schools Superintendent Sanford Holbrook said the district does not have any cases, but will make sure parents/guardians are notified if such a thing were to happen.
“We have ensured that each classroom and common area has hand sanitizer, there have been hand sanitizing stations added throughout the building and we will be discussing proper hand washing techniques,” he said. “Students will given the opportunity and encouraged to wash their hands several times throughout the day.”
Mason County Schools Superintendent Rick Ross said he will be meeting with health department officials later this week.
Lewis County Schools will send out a letter on Thursday. Officials have ordered sanitizer for the beginning of lunch lines, switched to paper and plastic cutlery, ordered additional supplies to disinfect the school, is disinfecting buses at the end of routes, allowing additional time for hand-washing and are in contact with the local health department.
In Ohio, three cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Cuyahoga County and 15 persons are under investigation.
Ripley Lewis Union Huntington School District sent out a letter to parents addressing their protocols. In the letter, Superintendent Jamie Wilkins said the schools are in contact with the Brown County Health Dept. and the Ohio Department of Health.
“With regard to cleaning and disinfecting our buildings, we are continuing our daily protocols to disinfect common contact surfaces. In addition to our normal protocols, we are going to use a Clorox Total 360 Electrostatic sprayer to intermittently disinfect classrooms and common areas. In the event of an extended school closure, teachers are preparing educational packets with two weeks of student work. The packets will be sent home with students this week and will only be utilized if the decision is made to close due to COVID-19,” said Wilkins.
Manchester Local Schools Superintendent Brian Rau has said he does not plan to send out a letter.
“What I’ll probably do is put some information on the site, then do an all-call [on Thursday.] So we’ve got a plan,” said Rau. The plan has not been disclosed yet until after a meeting with Adams County officials takes place on Wednesday. The plan will be addressed at the board meeting Wednesday night, then the all-call performed on Thursday.
