COVID-19 Joint Information Center Update: May 8, 2020

Posted: May 8, 2020

Coronavirus, Daily COVID-19 Briefings

The Washington County, Maryland Joint Information Center (JIC) provides the following update regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

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EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER

In the video below, Washington County Health Officer Earl Stoner provides an update on the County’s effort to combat COVID-19.

Washington County Joint Information Center (JIC) Update 5/8/2020

We are excited to announce many of the fire/EMS companies across the County will be participating in Cumberland Valley Volunteer Firemen’s Association‘s ‘hero’s safety ride’ scheduled for THIS Saturday.

We encourage residents to make signs of support to display as our first responders, healthcare workers, and essential workers pass by our homes. This ‘safety ride’ is a way for first responders to say ‘thank you’ to residents for staying home and to help flatten the curve.

Residents are encouraged to stay at home and wave from your porch/sidewalk as the vehicles pass by. All safety rides will be happening at 2:00 p.m. THIS Saturday, May 9, 2020.

The following fire/EMS companies will be participating:

Clear Spring Volunteer Fire Company
Clear Spring Ambulance
Hancock Volunteer Fire Company
Hancock Rescue Squad
Halfway Volunteer Fire Company
Potomac Valley Fire Company
Leitersburg Volunteer Fire Company 09
Longmeadow Vol. Fire Co.
Maugansville Goodwill Vol. Fire Co.13
Community Rescue Service Inc.
Smithsburg Emergency Medical Services
Funkstown Volunteer Fire Company
Community Volunteer Fire Company
Boonsboro Ambulance & Rescue Service, Inc.
Mt. Aetna Volunteer Fire Company
First Hose Company of Boonsboro
Williamsport Volunteer Fire – Emergency Medical Services Inc
Antietam Fire Company
Sharpsburg Area EMS

Specific routes in each town will be posted at the end of this week.

WASHINGTON COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT

Contact tracing is an important public health tool used to stop the spread of diseases. Public health workers use this tool to identify the contacts of a person infected with COVID-19 in order to stop chains of transmission. Washington County Health Department’s dedicated employees are focusing on interviewing COVID-19 positive patients and quickly locating all persons who were in contact with the patients.

This process starts when the health department is notified of a positive case, each positive cases is then contacted by one of our employees. Through our conversations with each person our contact tracers then create a list of places and persons the positive COVID-19 person came into contact with starting 48 hours before illness onset until the time they were isolated. Contacts are placed into two categories household contacts and causal contacts. Our contact tracers do not ask for social security number, credit card or immigration status. We then contact each and every person who might have been exposed and follow up with them through their isolation. During this time we provide education, information and support to understand their risk, how to monitor themselves for illness, how to self-isolate, and the possibility that they could spread the infection to others even if they do not feel sick. In order to protect patient privacy, contacts are only informed that they may been exposed to a patient with COVID-19. They are not told the identity of the patient who may have exposed them.

By staying safe at home and maintaining social distancing measures, you can help lessen the extensive amount of work are contact tracers are preforming. When a positive COVID-19 person only comes in close contact to those who live in their own homes, it considerably shortens the list of people our nurses have to contact and effectively helps stop the chain of transmission.

MERITUS HEALTH

COVID-19 TESTING EXPANDS FOR COMMUNITY

Click on the map to right to access the closest COVID-19 testing site.

COVID-19 testing is now available to anyone showing symptoms as designated by the CDC – Fever greater than 100.5 degrees and/or a dry cough, shortness of breath or sore throat. No appointments or referrals are needed to be tested. Testing is now available for all ages.Testing is available for all ages. Meritus Health’s screening centers include:

Drive-thru Center: COVID-19 screening is available behind Meritus Medical Plaza, at 13620 Crayton Blvd. Hours are Monday – Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and weekends from 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Walk-thru Center: COVID-19 screening is available at 24 N. Walnut St, Hagerstown, MD. The walk-thru screening center is open Monday – Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Meritus Health continues to offer FREE telehealth visits. These visits will allow patients to speak directly with a primary care provider to discuss health concerns.

Telehealth visits are available from 8:00am to 4:00pm, Monday through Friday. To request a telehealth visit please complete the form below.

BOOK YOUR TELEHEALTH APPOINTMENT HERE

At the start of May, after several months of work in the COVID-19 health care crisis, employees of Meritus Health joined our public safety community partners on a beautiful, windy spring day, at a proper social distance from one another, to share a moment of gratitude.

Meritus Health Moment of Gratitude May 4, 2020 Final

WASHINGTON COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Please stay tuned to www.hagerstown.org for the latest information on COVID-19 relief resources, local restaurants that remain open for business, and more!

The Chamber is focusing on ways that we can lead the way with recovery efforts for businesses. When safe to do so, we pledge to follow Maryland’s executive orders while rallying behind re-opening efforts while advocating for guidelines that benefit you during this impending comeback phase.

Upcoming Webinars

Monday, May 11th, 11:00 a.m. – Noon

Washington County Chamber Webinar: “HR Issues During the Covid-19 Return to Work Process”

Presented by one of our very own Chamber members, Kimberly Lundy, CEO, SHRM-SCP, & DDI of Lundy HR Consulting. Companies all over the globe are in uncharted waters during this COVID-19 pandemic and its related business shut down. Predominant questions now are geared towards the inevitable re-opening of Washington County. There’s no doubt that you have questions, many of them HR-related.

What are some possible HR issues you’ll encounter upon re-opening?
What to do when employees feel unsafe to return to work, even when you’re ready?
If an employee chooses to continue working from home, is that a fire-able offense?

These scenarios and more will be presented, discussed, and engagement from you is encouraged!

FREE Registration for Chamber Members

$5 Registration for Non-Members

Meeting Access Information Sent Upon Registration

Tuesday, May 12th, 11:00 a.m. – Noon

Free Maryland Chamber Webinar: “The Small Business Reorganization Act of 2019”

Presented by: Dennis J. Schaffer, Partner, Whiteford Taylor Preston, and Brent C. Strickland, Partner, Whiteford Taylor Preston

Small business owners now have the lifeline they need to work through a rough patch, cyclical downturn or other unexpected problem by taking advantage of the new Small Business Reorganization Act of 2019 (the “SBRA”).

SBRA is a significant change in existing bankruptcy law that greatly reduces or eliminates many of the costs associated with a bankruptcy reorganization, expedites the process for a quick turnaround, and preserves ownership and control of the business. Given the number of businesses suddenly faced with the prospect of insolvency, the SBRA feels like must-know law. It is described as a game changer for small and medium-sized businesses, as it allows access to a quicker and less expensive reorganization, at the same time making it easier for a business to maintain equity interests.

Wednesday, May 13th, 11:00 a.m.

AAFB & Planit Present: The New Normal? – Communicating in the Age of COVID-19

When COVID-19 hit the United States, brands scrambled to respond. While some brands are still scrambling, after nearly two months of quarantine, many are also asking what’s next. How do we continue to respond? Or should we stop responding? When do we return to regularly scheduled communication plans? Join AAF Baltimore and Planit for a webinar discussing the current media landscape, messages consumers want to hear, crisis communications strategies to implement right now and more.

Thursday, May 14th, 10:00 a.m.

Free Maryland Black Chamber of Commerce Webinar

Join next Thursday for a virtual session on Pivot and Reposition for Post COVID-19. Bola and Mack Audena of MBA Growth Partners to rethink, recalibrate, and reenergize your business for the new norm post-COVID-19.

Attention Employers:

CLICK HERE to download an “Unemployment Resource Guide” created by the Maryland Department of Labor for guidance and resources regarding unemployment issues.

Maryland Department of Labor released the Financial Relief Guide for Marylanders. This guide briefly describes certain COVID-19 related financial relief programs and consumer protections. CLICK HERE

The purpose of this page is to help the public distinguish between rumors and facts regarding the response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Rumors can easily circulate within communities during a crisis. Do your part to the stop the spread of disinformation by doing 3 easy things; don’t believe the rumors, don’t pass them along and go to trusted sources of information to get the facts about the state of Maryland’s (COVID-19) response.

COMMUNITY INFORMATION & RESOURCES

SEVERAL COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS JOIN TOGETHER FOR MICAH’S BACKPACK DISTRIBUTION

United Way of Washington County is serving our community in partnership with Hagerstown Area Religious Council and OnTrack Washington County! Yesterday, nearly 1,000 Micah’s Backpacks were distributed out to children suffering from food insecurity.