City of Lexington prepares for when coronavirus hits

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) — The city of Lexington, like many others, are thinking about the coronavirus.

Mayor Linda Gorton says even though there aren’t any cases yet in Kentucky, the whole city is preparing.

City leaders say it’s not a matter of if, but when COVID-19 will hit.

“The numbers I showed on my slide today to the group worldwide that were true yesterday are no longer true today. That’s how quickly things are moving,” says Dr. Kraig Humbaugh, commissioner of health for the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department.

The new respiratory illness that started in China has killed about 3,000 worldwide and six in the U.S.

The symptoms are flu-like but there’s no vaccine.

“Wash your hands, first of all. Stay home if you’re sick. Sneeze into your sleeve or into a clean tissue,” says Dr. Humbaugh.

“I think the more knowledge everybody has the better it will be,” says Mayor Gorton.

In addition to prevention, city leaders are thinking about the impact it could have on the economy.

They’re encouraging employers to plan for employees to work from home.

“So we can protect the good of the health of our community,” says Humbaugh.

That includes planning for several big events Lexington hosts.

“Keeneland is coming up next month. Lots of people gather there. Central Bank Center. The Sweet 16 is coming,” says the mayor.

Most deaths in Washington are connected to a nursing home.

The mayor’s office says it’s concerned with keeping particular buildings clean.

“The Senior Center because you’ve got a lot of people congregating there and then family care because you have, you know, children there,” says Sally Hamilton, chief administrative officer with the mayor’s administration.

The health department says you can help by not overwhelming the healthcare system, to try to take care of yourself at home.

“We are continuing to assess our readiness to take care of these types of patients and our everyday patients and our healthcare providers that are going to be taking care of the COVID-19 patients,” says Dee Beckam, an executive director with Baptist Health Lexington.

All these groups aren’t coming together to panic you but they says a few small things now can help keep you safe.

To learn more about the coronavirus, click here.