The Hamilton County Commissioners, along with the Hamilton County Health Department and Hamilton County Emergency Management, are planning to hold a Facebook Live event to help educate citizens and employees about COVID-19. The event will take place on all three agencies’ Facebook pages at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 18.
Altman
“We felt that a public meeting is contrary to current public health guidance and that this type of communication is one of the safest ways to educate our citizens,” said County Commissioner Christine Altman. “Any business you can conduct remotely right now is a best practice and certainly helps reduce risk of exposure.”
Viewers can watch the event on the following Facebook pages: Hamilton County, Indiana, Hamilton County Emergency Management, and Hamilton County Health Department – Indiana.
“Knowledge is power,” said Chris Walker, emergency preparedness coordinator for the Hamilton County Health Department. “The better educated our community is about COVID-19, the better chance we have of containing it.”
Currently there are no known cases of COVID-19 in Hamilton County. For more information about COVID-19, please check out the Hamilton County Health Department’s website.
Noblesville Schools parent, children to self-quarantine
WISH-TV | wishtv.com
A Noblesville Schools parent has been directed to self-quarantine, according to the Noblesville Schools.
The school system said the parent attended an out-of-state event last week where someone else had tested positive for COVID-19. Noblesville Schools said the parent is complying with the directive and is also quarantining their children.
While both will be quarantining themselves, the school system says that neither has tested positive for or shown symptoms of COVID-19. However, the school system also said the family did attend a baseball event over the weekend at Noblesville High School before they knew of their need to self-quarantine.
The school system is working closely with the Hamilton County Health Department as they monitor this situation. The district on Monday afternoon announced a designated area on its website to address questions about the virus.
The school is reminding students and staff to remember to:
- Wash hands frequently with soap and water for 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Cover coughs and sneezes with tissues or by coughing into the inside of the elbow. Throw used tissues away in the trash.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
- Stay away from people who are sick or not feeling well and avoid close contact with others through hugging, kissing or shaking hands.
- Disinfect frequently touched surfaces and objects such as toys and doorknobs.
- Any student with a fever should remain at home until they are “fever free” for 24 hours.
- Seek assistance from a health professional if you see or experience symptoms that cause concern.
Riverview has protection protocols in place for coronavirus
Submitted
Editor’s note: The following is a statement provided to The Reporter by officials from Riverview Health.
In addition to the concerns about the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), we’re still in the midst of a heavy flu season so many of our precautions have been in place for that already. We continue to restrict visitors, which includes limiting visitors to immediate family, no visitors with flu-like symptoms and no visitors under the age of 16.
As always, our staff are performing proper hand hygiene and cough etiquette. We’ve provided further education on proper handwashing to both our staff and the community. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends washing your hands for 20 seconds with soap and warm water or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
We’ve also made some changes in our cafeteria including removing most of the self-serve options in an effort to prevent the spread of germs.
Following protocols given to us by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), we have policies in place for the diagnosis and treatment of any potential coronavirus patients. We’ve reviewed these practices and are prepared. These policies include using the appropriate personal protective equipment designed to keep our staff safe. We also have a negative airflow room in all our emergency departments that would keep any patient isolated to ensure the safety of other patients and staff.
We are ordering extra medical supplies and personal protective equipment in order to be prepared for any influx of patients.
If you think you may need to be tested for coronavirus, please contact the Indiana State Department of Health.