Coronavirus still has its grip on the nation as Americans try their hardest to mitigate community spread of the virus. Chairs at Monday’s Delaware County Board of Commissioners meeting were spaced accordingly to avoid direct contact with others in attendance.
County Administrator Michael Frommer spoke to the board regarding progress that has been made to prepare the county for COVID-19.
“The goals that we have set out, as we have discussed, are to continue our essential operations in a manner that protects our employees and the public. Also, we want to recognize and work with our employees to mitigate the challenges that they are going to be facing coming to work with all the other closures that are occurring,” stated Frommer.
Operations that can still continue while being remote are recommended to reduce the amount of contact between people.
There is a communication to be sent out to the public with information including what each department’s available hours are and how to access them without having to go into the offices personally.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has recommended that in-person voting be pushed back until June 2. Absentee ballots can still be collected via mail. Indoor facilities such as gyms, recreation centers, bowling alleys, movie theaters, and indoor waterparks were ordered to close as of the end of business Monday.
Members of the community seeking testing have been advised not to come in person to EMS sites. On Delaware County Emergency Medical Service’s Facebook page, a recent post explains that they cannot test people for COVID-19 and that calling 911 with questions is not a proper use of the emergency system.
Director of Communications of the Delaware County Commissioners Jane Hawes responded as a spokeswoman for DCEMS to the worries of community members seeking testing by stating, “We are trying to get the word out to the public so that they can help us keep our front line personnel safe. People need to know they cannot show up at an EMS station and ask to be tested. Our EMS people cannot perform testing. They also need to know they shouldn’t call 911 to request testing. Again, that is not an option via 911. They need to call their doctor first. They can also call the Ohio Department of Health hotline at 1-833-4-ASK-ODH (1-833-427-5634) from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily or the Delaware General Health District after-hours emergency line at 740-815-6518.”
Other resolutions considered by the board Monday included:
• A new liquor license request from Little Bear Hospitality LLC
• Declaration of county personal property not needed for public use and authorization of the sale of Sgt. Randy Pohl’s assigned duty firearm
• Authorization for ODPS EMS to submit an application for a grant in which funds are compiled from seatbelt ticketing and in the past have been in the amount of approximately $1,500
• Approval of the sale of personal property not needed for public use that is owned by Delaware County, including multiple vehicles, a welder, and a paint booth
