Monday, March 9, 2020
UPDATE: As of 3:20pm, on Monday, March 9th 2020: There are four confirmed cases of Coronavirus Disease in Kentucky, including two patients in Harrison County, one in Fayette County and one in Jefferson County.

Friday, March 6, 2020

At Bardstown City Hall this morning, several local health officials met with Bardstown and Nelson County leadership for a round-table discussion regarding public health and preparedness in the event of an outbreak of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in our community.

At this discussion, Lincoln Trail District Health Department representatives provided best practices from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to stop the spread of the virus. They also gave updates on the extent of the spread of COVID-19, and what that might mean for Kentucky. According to Lincoln Trail, as of March 5, 2020, no infections with COVID-19 have been reported in Kentucky. The number of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. is currently at 164, with 11 deaths. Representatives from Lincoln Trail indicated that this is a rapidly changing situation, and much is still being learned about COVID-19. While this situation poses a serious public health threat, the risk to the Kentucky public is believed to be low at this time.

 In addition to preparedness on a city and county level, the discussion focused on everyday things citizens can do to stop the spread of the disease. In general, Lincoln Trail advised, the steps you would take to prevent the flu are also steps you will take to prevent COVID-19. These include: 

• Practice good hand washing with warm water and soap or alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently-touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
• The CDC does not recommend the use of face masks or respirators among the general public to protect themselves from respiratory viruses, including COVID-19. Masks should be reserved for people who are sick, so they can protect others from getting infected.

 Mayor J. Richard Heaton added after the meeting concluded that the Lincoln Trail District Health Department is well-prepared to establish procedures to prevent, identify, investigate, contain, and reduce negative impacts from all kinds of communicable diseases. He expressed that while the risk to Nelson County at the moment is low, we as a community are in “preparedness mode” and will continue to monitor the situation and keep citizens informed of updates regarding public health. Citizens can visit the Lincoln Trail District Health Department’s website at www.ltdhd.org or the CDC’s website at www.cdc.gov for health alerts, updated guidance documents, and links to additional information.

In attendance at the round-table discussion were Bardstown Mayor J. Richard Heaton, Nelson County Judge Executive Dean Watts, and representatives from Lincoln Trail District Health Department, Flaget Memorial Hospital, Nelson County EMS, Nelson County 911 Dispatch, and the Bardstown Fire Department.