December 10, 2020
Commissioners Urge Residents to Help Mitigate COVID-19
On Wednesday, December 9th, 2020, the Franklin County Commissioners passed a resolution addressing COVID-19 in Franklin County and urging residents to be vigilant in their mitigation efforts. Along with passing the resolution, the Board of Commissioners has released the following statement:
Franklin County Government is closely monitoring the COVID-19 public health threat. We are working with our local healthcare systems and Department of Emergency Services, among others, to make sure that we as a community are as safe as possible.
In light of significant increases in COVID-19 cases in Franklin County and across the Commonwealth, the Franklin County Commissioners urge residents to exercise caution and to do all they can to slow the transmission of this virus.
We must stay vigilant. Local hospitalizations are surging and facilities are nearing their maximum capacities. Predictive modeling estimates another month before COVID-19 positive cases peak in our county in mid-January. In WellSpan hospitals, one out of every two patients is COVID-19 positive and this number is rising. It is up to each of us to take the necessary steps to ease the burden of our doctors, nurses, hospital staff, and all those on the frontlines working for the health of our communities. For this reason, we ask all residents to take the following common sense precautions:
- Wear a mask appropriately.
- Wash your hands or use hand sanitizer often.
- Practice social distancing of at least 6 feet when around others and avoid large crowds.
- Clean frequently touched surfaces regularly.
- Stay home if you are sick or have a fever of 100.4 degrees or higher.
- If you show any COVID-19 symptoms, stay home and call your physician’s office for further direction.
Franklin County remains committed to providing essential services to our residents and businesses. To fulfill this responsibility, as well as the responsibility we have to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus, our operational policies and practices help limit the risk of transmission to our employees and the public. These include but are not limited to:
● Employees and public visitors must now complete, and pass, a COVID-symptoms screening as well as a temperature check in addition to the security screening (where applicable) in order to gain access into facilities.
● Face masks must be worn by employees in all county facilities, irrespective of physical distance unless “working alone” which is defined as “when a person is isolated from interaction with other people with little or no expectation of in-person interruption.”
● Travel restrictions for employee professional travel are expanded in conjunction with Pennsylvania Department of Health recommendations.
We request that residents use virtual communications whenever possible to limit in-person interactions during this time.
By taking these precautions, we protect ourselves and others, helping to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our Franklin County communities.
For up-to-date and accurate resources for information on COVID-19, please visit:
Center for Disease Control and Prevention and Pennsylvania Department of Health.
For current data from our local healthcare providers, visit: WellSpan Heath and Keystone Health.
For updates on COVID-19 related County operations, visit: www.franklincountypa.gov.
For COVID-19 Community Resources, visit Healthy Franklin County.
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