COVID-19 Joint Information Center Update: April 29, 2020

Posted: April 29, 2020

Coronavirus, Daily COVID-19 Briefings

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

Click here to receive Washington County daily briefings delivered to your inbox.

EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER

Are you living with older family members or others at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19? Help protect your household by taking the following precautions:

Only leave the household when it’s absolutely necessary
Try to avoid public transportation if you do have to leave the house
Wash your hands with soap and water or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol often
Don’t have visitors in your home, unless they need to be there

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers additional information at https://bit.ly/2KAILDa

WASHINGTON COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT

For those who may have complaints or inquiries regarding social distancing compliance at operating businesses, organizations, establishments, facilities, or construction sites, please contact the Washington County Health Department at 240-313-3210 or email [email protected].

The Washington County Health Department will work in coordination with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and the Maryland State Police to address and investigate all complaints or inquiries.

On April 5, 2020, Governor Hogan issued Executive Order Number 20-04-05-02 Delegating Authority to Local Health Officials to Control and Close Unsafe Facilities. The purpose of the Executive Order is to control and prevent the spread of COVID-19 by ensuring that a business, organization, establishment, facility, or construction site complies with the Social Distancing Guidance published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or the Maryland Department of Health (MDH). Individuals can call 240-313-3210 or email [email protected] to report concerns regarding compliance with this Executive Order.

MERITUS HEALTH

Alhassan Bangura of Hagerstown was recently released from Meritus Medical Center after 12 days on a ventilator to treat COVID-19. “The nurses and doctors were excellent … they gave me a second chance … (My advice is) Don’t ever give up,” he says. To date, Meritus Medical Center has discharged 26 patients who were successfully treated for COVID-19.

COVID-19 Patient Alhassan Bangura's Discharge from Meritus Medical Center

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 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

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!

Upcoming Webinars

Thursday, April 30, 11:00 a.m.

FREE Webinar hosted by The Fort Detrick Alliance: “New Challenges & Hurdles for Contractors in the COVID-19 Era”

Learn how to best navigate government contracts during the COVID-19 pandemic era. Hear from Jeremy Scholtes, Attorney at Miles and Stockbridge; Jerome Maultsby, Assistant Director of the Office of Small Business Programs at Fort Detrick; and Sara Langdon, U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command, HQ.

This webinar will be moderated and there will be time for participants to ask questions of the panelists.

This event is open to members and non-members of the Alliance. Please pass along to anyone who might be interested or benefit from this opportunity. The webinar link will be provided to registrants the day before the event. Attendees will be able to video conference or call in depending on preference.

Friday, May 1, 11:00 a.m. – Noon

COVID-19: Economic Outlook and Prospects for Recovery – Hosted by the MD Chamber of Commerce

Join us for a conversation with Tom Barkin, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. Mr. Barkin will discuss the Federal Reserve’s recent and unprecedented actions and share his thoughts on the U.S. economy, including what the Richmond Fed is learning through business outreach, and the key components to a successful recovery.

Friday, May 1, 11:00 – 11:45 a.m.

COVID-19 Cleaning Review – Hosted by Weiss Bros

Join ISSA Certified Trainer Steve Johnson for a free webinar to discuss the following tops around cleaning:

Go through CDC current guidelines on cleaning procedures
Using Proper Disinfectants
Personal Protection Equipment
Wrap Up

Monday, May 4^th, 10:30 – 11:30

Town Hall with Sec. Kelly Schulz and Washington County Delegation Members

MEETING LOG-IN: https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/714969253

Hosted by Senator Andrew Serafini and Washington County Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Paul Frey, this GoToMeeting event will address COVID-19 Relief information, an update from the Maryland Department of Commerce, and information (including a Q&A session) on Maryland’s Road to Recovery plan to re-open.

Wednesday, May 6^th, 9:00 – 10:00am

COVID-19 Pandemic’s Impact on Business with Sec. Tiffany Robinson, Maryland Department of Labor & Licensing

MEETING LOG-IN: Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84082371897?pwd=elpwQ1k5VDJ5ZVVHdWxXYWRnZ1Badz09

Meeting ID: 840 8237 1897

Password: 358303

Dial by your location

301 715 8592

Join the Washington County Chamber of Commerce for a virtual meeting with Maryland’s Secretary of Labor, Ms. Tiffany Robinson. Secretary Robinson will give an update on the impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on our businesses and their labor forces, as well as update us on the unemployment insurance application and payment process.

Attention Employers:

The Maryland Department of Labor’s Division of Unemployment Insurance has received a number of questions and comments from Marylanders about difficulties they are experiencing with usernames and passwords. To help ensure that Maryland’s new and existing claimants can access the new BEACON One-Stop, we have created a Username and Password Handbook. You can access this new resource by visiting: www.labor.maryland.gov/employment/uibeaconuserhandbook.pdf.

CITY OF HAGERSTOWN

The Planning and Code Administration Department (PCAD) would like to invite you to join our webinar series to learn more about rental interior inspections. A Neighborhood Services inspector will walk you through the process of an inspection, room by room. We will be providing a verbalization of what we are looking at during an inspection. We will answer questions written in the chat at the end of the inspection as time allows. Each webinar will be approximately 15 minutes long.

Here is the schedule for the next 9 weeks

May 1^st – Living and Dining
May 8^th – Kitchen
May 15^th – Basement
May 22^nd – Mechanical, electrical, plumbing
May 29^th – Hallway and Stairs
June 5^th – Bathroom
June 12^th – Bedroom
June 19^th – Attic
June 26^th – Smoke & CO Alarms

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about the rental licensing inspection process. Below is the invite to register for our first webinar of the series on May 1^st.

You are invited to a Zoom webinar.

When: May 1, 2020 12:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Topic: Lunch & Learn – Rental Interior Inspection (Living/Dining Room)

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_5ZmBrQMeRpy0iJC0U0snfg

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

HAGERSTOWN COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Hagerstown Community College is offering two free summer classes to area 2020 high school graduates.

“We recognize all the sacrifices this year’s high school graduates have been forced to make, due to the pandemic,” said HCC President Jim Klauber. “This gift from the college is our way of helping to honor them and celebrate their accomplishments.”

The offer is open to 2020 high school/homeschool graduates from Washington County and HCC’s neighboring out-of-state counties (Franklin County, PA; Fulton County, PA; Berkeley County, WV; Jefferson County, WV; and Morgan County, WV).

Students may select one or two online summer courses beginning May 26, June 29, or July 13, and must be enrolled by May 26. Tuition is offered free-of-charge, but students are responsible for the cost of textbooks and college fees. The opportunity is open to the first 100 students who apply.

The application deadline is May 15. To learn more and apply, visit www.hagerstowncc.edu/gradgift.

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.