PRESS RELEASE

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory illness that can spread from person to person.

The virus that causes COVID-19 is a novel coronavirus that was first identified during an investigation into an outbreak in Wuhan, China. The Mono County Public Health Department has no evidence at this time that COVID-19 is present in the Eastern Sierra and states that the immediate risk to the general public in Mono County and the Town of Mammoth Lakes is low. Coronavirus Face mask 1248619 1
Mono County public health officials are and will continue to communicate with medical facilities, emergency personnel, schools, businesses and other community resources to provide guidance on COVID-19 and possible prevention measures that can be taken as the situation evolves.

Community Meeting
The Mono County Public Health Department has scheduled a community meeting about the coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic in Mammoth Lakes on Wednesday March 11 at the Mammoth High School Cafeteria from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.

The purpose of the meeting is to provide community members with locally relevant information about the situation and to promote discussion. Public Health staff will answer questions and hope to hear and understand community concerns. Spanish language interpretation will be available at the Mammoth Lakes meeting.

Simple Everyday Preventive Actions
The best way to prevent infection is to avoid being exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19. There are simple things everyone should do now at work, home, school, and in the community to reduce the spread of COVID-19, as well as flu and common colds:

• Wash your hands frequently using soap for at least 20 seconds and lathering your palms, fingers, fingertips, backs of your hands and under your nails.
• When no handwashing facilities are available, disinfect your hands with alcohol sanitizer (containing 60% or more alcohol).
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
• Stay away from others when you are sick, particularly by staying home from work or school.
• Cover your mouth with tissue or your arm when coughing or sneezing (not your hand). If available, you may wear a surgical mask when you are sick to protect people around you.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
• Encourage employees and students to stay home from work or school when they are sick.
• Businesses can encourage sick customers and clients to complete business through phone, email, or other means which do not require face-to-face interactions when possible.
• Consider “social distancing” to reduce your interactions with other people, especially if you are older or have medical conditions such as heart or lung disease, diabetes or cancer, which increase the chance of severe illness if you are infected with the COVID-19 virus.
• If you are sick with fever and cough or shortness of breath, please let your doctor’s office or hospital emergency room know of your symptoms before you come, so that precautions can be taken to reduce spreading it to other people. Similarly, if you need an ambulance, let the 911 dispatcher know that you have symptoms that might mean COVID-19.

For current and reliable information about COVID-19, please contact the Mono County Public Health Department (https://monocounty.ca.gov/public-health/page/coronavirus-covid-19),call (760) 924-1830, or visit the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/).

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