The Licking County Health Department (LCHD) understands that coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an issue of concern nationally, internationally, and locally. Our mission is to prevent disease, protect the environment, and promote healthy lifestyles for those who work, live, or play in Licking County.
According to the Ohio Department of Health, 212 people who have arrived in Ohio from China are under public health supervision. These individuals have been asked to voluntarily self-quarantine for 14 days to prevent the potential spread of the new coronavirus. There are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ohio, and currently the disease poses a very low risk to county residents.
LCHD officials report that no one in Licking County is currently showing symptoms of COVID-19. LCHD currently has no cases of a person under investigation (PUI) for COVID-19. LCHD is notified by the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) of anyone returning from China who lives in Licking County. Individuals returning from China are considered “travelers” and are under public health supervision and asked to self-quarantine for 14 days.
As with other local health departments around the state, we have been notified of some returning travelers to our community. These individuals have been asked to self-quarantine for 14 days. We have been working closely with these individuals to ensure that they understand the parameters of self-quarantine and have reiterated them as recently as this morning. We will continue to stay in touch with them daily to ensure they follow our guidance. Our daily touch points will include phone calls, home visits and daily temperature monitoring.
We will not be sharing information about individuals under public health supervision or under voluntary quarantine for COVID-19 in Licking County. These individuals are not showing any symptoms and are not under investigation. As is our normal practice when we monitor situations of infectious disease in the community, information will be shared as is necessary to protect the public while balancing individual privacy. As with other diseases, we do not routinely share suspected case information until it is confirmed. The same will be done with COVID-19.
