March 27, 2020
By: Dwayne Page
DeKalb County now has 3 confirmed cases of the Coronavirus.
County Mayor Tim Stribling made the announcement in the following statement Friday afternoon.
“I have been notified by the TN Department of Health that there is one more confirmed COVID-19 case in DeKalb County bringing the total of confirmed cases to three as of this date.”
“As I said in reporting the first confirmed case, this is not unexpected. As we ramp up our testing, we expect to identify more cases. But there is still a lot we can do to slow down the spread and protect our most vulnerable but the worst thing we can do is panic. Now is the time to look after our own health to limit the spread. Keep your hands clean and continue to practice social distancing. If you are feeling bad, stay at home. Our elderly need to be staying at home as much as possible and we as neighbors and friends need to keep a check on them,” said County Mayor Stribling.
“We will continue to work closely with the TN Department of Health and all agencies of government at all levels to minimize the impact on the residents of DeKalb County. That has been and continues to be our primary concern. We will get through this together as everyone takes a personal responsibility to do everything they can to protect our county,” he said.
Individuals with specific questions can call the TDH Information line at 877-857-2945 or 931-646-7586.
Meanwhile the DeKalb County Health Department began conducting COVID-19 drive thru assessments Friday, March 27 at the health department on Tiger Drive with help from three members of the Tennessee National Guard.
Drive thru assessments will also be held again next week Monday through Friday, March 30 to April 3 from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the same location and each week thereafter until further notice.
“If you have symptoms of COVID-19, we encourage you to stop by our health department for an assessment,” said County Mayor Stribling.
“Per DeKalb County Health Department Director Michael Railing, assisting the DeKalb County Health Department will be the Soldiers and Airmen from the Tennessee National Guard to provide support in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Governor Lee indicated 250 guard members have been deployed statewide. He notes 150 are medically trained. Most will help rural counties staff 35 virus testing and assessment sites,” Stribling said.
For more information on COVID-19, please visit: https://www.tn.gov/health/cedep/ncov.html which also has a link to the Center for Disease Control website.