Spencer County Fiscal Court tightens EMS screening, temporarily closes county clerk office amid COVID-19

SPENCER COUNTY, Ky. — April 6, 2020

Spencer County officials moved this week to reduce potential COVID-19 exposure among county employees and first responders, temporarily closing the County Clerk's public office and authorizing new sterilization equipment for emergency medical services.

County Judge/Executive John Riley opened the remote Fiscal Court meeting on April 6 under Kentucky's recently enacted Senate Bill 150 and asked the court to ratify an emergency repair to ambulance Med 4 after authorizing $2,373 in work at Bob Hook Chevrolet. The court ratified the expenditure by roll-call vote.

Chris Limpp, the county's emergency management/EMS official, told the court there have been three confirmed COVID-19 cases in Spencer County and "all 3 were considered recovered." Limpp described stepped-up screening for EMS personnel: employees are screened twice daily, at 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., and staff with a fever of 100.0'F or higher must remain off duty for seven days after the fever resolves. Limpp said EMS crews are wearing reusable N-95 or P-100 masks and tracked distribution of donated PPE; he reported 1,200 masks were distributed recently to a local facility called Signature.

Limpp also requested two CIMR 2000 sterilization units to sanitize ambulances and the EMS building after shifts. The units cost $1,345 each. Magistrate Travis moved and Magistrate J. Moody seconded the purchase; the court approved the $2,700 expenditure by roll call vote.

County Clerk Lynn Hesselbrock told the court several clerk's office employees had sought medical treatment for respiratory symptoms and one employee had been tested for COVID-19. She said staff had been using gloves and masks and processing transactions by mail, drop box or phone but that "these precautions were just not enough to protect them" and announced a temporary two-week closure of the clerk's public office while essential duties such as election processing continued.

Magistrate J. Moody pushed for changes to recycling pickups, saying handling cardboard posed a risk to employees; Judge Riley said the county would cease proactive pickups at offices and limit collection to existing business bins.

The court also discussed road and bridge work, proclaimed April as Child Abuse Prevention Month and April 3 as Spencer County Arbor Day, and kept the next Fiscal Court meeting on April 20 (to be held by Zoom). The court approved the meeting minutes and the list of expenditures and transfers presented by the clerk.

What happens next: The court scheduled the required County Road Aid hearing for May 4, 2020 at 8:30 a.m. and will continue to manage COVID-19 operational changes as public-health guidance evolves.