Public Health - Dayton & Montgomery County has activated its incident management team as coronavirus cases increase nationally and as the area braces for two events that will bring thousands to Dayton.
“We use that team to manage situations that arise in the county to help protect people’s health,” said county health spokesman Dan Suffoletto. “It helps coordinate our efforts both internally and externally.”
As of Monday, the state was awaiting test results for one possible case of coronavirus. No confirmed cases have been reported in Ohio.
The incident management team is used when outbreaks occur.
“We have people on-call 24/7 to respond to public health emergencies and part of that process is what we use for any emergency that may occur,” Suffoletto said.
The county will see an increase in travelers visiting the Miami Valley in the coming weeks.
The Winter Guard International World Championships will be held at the University of Dayton Arena and other venues in the Miami Valley in early April. The event brings in thousands from across the country and the world.
As of Tuesday, “WGI has not received any notice of our international groups’ plans changing due to concerns over the Coronavirus. There are some challenges as airlines are altering their international schedules, but at the moment no groups have announced any alterations to attend our World Championships in Dayton,” event Chief Executive Officer Ron Nankervis told News Center 7.
Eleven groups registered to participate in the event come from outside the United States. They are Belgium (1),
Canada (5), Costa Rica (3), Japan and the Netherlands (1 each).
“WGI has been in communication with management at the University of Dayton Arena. We will seriously consider any further precautions recommended by Montgomery County health officials as Dayton prepares for upcoming NCAA tournaments as well as the WGI World Championships,” Nankervis said.
The NCAA will be holding the First Four at UD Arena March 17-18:
“The university is working with...the NCAA for the First Four March 17-18 to ensure a safe, healthy environment for our student-athletes and fans, but also urges them to take precautions they normally would to limit the spread of any illness,” UD officials said in a statement.
The university said its also following guidance from the CDC and local health department.
“Anytime you’re gathering in a crowd, that’s where you want to be particularly cautious. Making sure you’re practicing things like washing your hands thoroughly, covering your mouth when you cough and sneeze and stay home when you’re sick,” Suffoletto said.
