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

Posted: April 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

As Washington County, MD continues to take steps to slow the spread of COVID-19 by limiting close contact, people are facing new challenges and questions about how to meet basic household needs, such as buying groceries and medicine, and completing banking activities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides advice about how to meet these household needs in a safe and healthy manner. Click here for information on proper precautions when running essential errands.

WASHINGTON COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT

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

The Maryland Department of Health is offering free, virtual car seat appointments to families as part of their Kids in Safety Seats program. Click on the flyer below for additional information.

MERITUS HEALTH

To provide Meritus Health employees and providers safe equipment and strategies to reduce potential for exposure to COVID-19 and based on new CDC guidelines found here, staff not in direct patient care settings are now being encouraged to wear masks. We are making cloth masks available to these staff members thanks in part to the generous donations of sewn masks from the community. Staff working in direct patient care continue to follow a specific masking strategy directed by the CDC with regard to PPE.

Thousands of blood drives have been cancelled during the COVID-19 pandemic; however, the need for blood is constant and the current need is great. Meritus Health is hosting a blood drive Tuesday, April 21, from 11 a.m.-5:00 p.m. in the Robinwood Professional Center’s atrium. Visit https://www.redcrossblood.org/ and search “Robinwood” to schedule your appointment and help meet this need. The American Red Cross website also includes information on the safety protocols the organization is taking during this public health emergency.

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

COVID-19 TESTING SITES

Click on the map to right to access the closest testing site.

Once you have spoken with someone on the COVID-19 care line – 301-790-9170 – or to your physician about your symptoms, you may be directed to Meritus Health’s drive-thru or walk-thru screening center.

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 4:00 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.

To view testing guidelines for COVID-19 at Meritus testing locations, please click here.

For the most up-to-date information on Meritus Medical Group e-visits, visitor restrictions at Meritus Health facilities including the hospital and other COVID-19 resources, please visit https://www.meritushealth.com/patients-visitors/public-notice/.

WASHINGTON COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Washington County Public Schools has a section of their website devoted to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) at http://wcpsmd.com/school-health/covid-19-faq. Topics include: distance learning; online video classrooms; special education and English Learner supports; end of the school year and graduation; and student support. The community can send additional questions to [email protected].

WASHINGTON COUNTY LANDFILL

Effective immediately the Fort West Landfill at 12630 Earth Care Road in Hagerstown is restricted to essential use only. This action is being taken due to the State of Emergency and in compliance with the Governor’s Executive Order #20-03-30-01.

The following services are currently restricted:

No citizen should bring nonessential waste, such as nonperishable items, household project cleanups, mattresses, yard waste, electronics or any bulk items.
The main office is temporally closed to the public.
Permit sales are temporally suspended.
Compost and mulch sales are temporally suspended.

The following services continue as normal:

No restrictions for commercial haulers.
Permit holders may dump per regulations.
No restrictions for essential business allowed to operate under the Governor’s Executive Order.
Disposal of household waste from citizens that do not have at home collection of waste.

These measures are put in place to comply with state law and to combat the spread of the coronavirus in our community. Please visit https://www.washco-md.net/solid-waste-recycling/ if you have questions about the restrictions. To keep the landfill staff and community members safe, we appreciate your cooperation with this request.

WASHINGTON COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

The information below and links to disaster relief resources, webinars and more can be found on the Chamber website, www.hagerstown.org and the Chamber’s special breakout page www.hagerstown.org/strongtogether

The Maryland’s COVID-19 Relief Grant and Loan programs are now closed for an indefinite period of time. The State received over 39,500 applications for these two programs and expect the dedicated funds to be exhausted with eligible applications that they have already received. Their reviewers are processing the applications in order they were submitted to disburse these funds into our business community as quickly and accurately as possible. They plan to keep the programs in place should additional money become available to refund them, but there’s no guarantee at this time for more funding. Unfunded applications that are approved for funding are expected to remain in the queue should more money become available

Maryland is still offering the Maryland COVID-19 Emergency Relief Manufacturing Fund and encourage businesses throughout Maryland to continue exploring other forms of assistance, such as federal and local programs, including SBA’s Emergency Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program and the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). For more information on federal resources, read the Small Business Owner’s guide to the CARES Act, or find more details from the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

The CARES Act provides provisions making it easier for people to access funds in their retirement plans (up to $100,000) to use for living expenses if they were negatively impacted by COVID-19. (removes 10% penalty, lowers withholding to 10%, extended time to pay taxes on withdrawals, etc.). These provisions are available for the remainder of 2020. Read more HERE.

COMMUNITY RESOURCES & INFORMATION

WASHINGTON COUNTY COVID-19 EMERGENCY ASSISTANT FUND

The Community Foundation and United Way will begin releasing the first wave of funds from the Washington County COVID-19 Emergency Assistance Fund! Please click below to access the grant portal and to submit your grant request. Applications will be reviewed Thursday, April 16 and Friday, April 17. Determinations will be made and the goal is for checks to be sent the week of April 20, 2020.

Additional Details and to apply:

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS SMARTER SELECT

The COVID-19 Emergency Assistance Fund collaborative funders are administering funding through a common grant application to support local eligible organizations impacted by COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 Emergency Assistance Fund collaborative funders include the Community Foundation of Washington County, MD, United Way of Washington County, MD, Pauline K. Anderson Foundation and the Alice Virginia and David W. Fletcher Foundation.Organizations can use this application to apply for emergency grants to support increases to demands in services and/or grants to support general operating expenses when revenues have been impacted by COVID-19-related closures. Applications will be collected by the Community Foundation and evaluated for funding by the above-named funders. Multiple applications from a single organization will be considered. Please Note: The first round of applications will be due on Wednesday, April 15th at midnight. Notification of award or denial will be provided as quickly as possible after an application is submitted and reviewed by the committee following the deadline to submit requests.

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