A briefing on preparations to combat the coronavirus topped the agenda during Monday’s meeting of the Ellsworth County commissioners.

Kerianne Ehrlich, county health supervisor, said first and foremost, don’t panic.

“Use your common sense,” she said. “If you are sick, stay home.”

Ehrlich said signs have been made and distributed to all businesses in Ellsworth asking people who are sick to please stay at home.

Ehrlich also urged those with symptoms — fever, a cough, etc. — to call Ellsworth County Medical Center first instead of just showing up.

“Give them a rundown of your symptoms, and then we will proceed from there,” she said.

Ehrlich said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended as of March 15 no large gatherings of more than 50 people to reduce social interaction in order to stop the spread of the virus in communities across the nation.

She said there are services involving the elderly that action may, at some point, need to be taken, such as gatherings at the senior center for lunch.

“Those types of services I hate to stop too soon because it services the elderly population need,” Ehrlich said. “For a lot of them, that’s their food source.”

She noted, however, that is the population most at risk from the coronavirus.

Commissioner Kermit Rush asked if the senior center should be closed.

Ehrlich said that would be a last resort.

“Then we would probably have to reach out to family members, friends, other community volunteers,” she said. “These people need something.”

Ehrlich said she has talked with Ellsworth-Kanopolis-Geneseo USD 327 Superintendent Dale Brungardt regarding the topic of school closures.

“This is spring break, so we’re good for both of our districts and our county,” she said.

Ehrlich said the schools could possibly be closed next week as well. She expects an update today (Thursday, March 19) regarding recommendations and requirements from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

She met with Wilson’s emergency planning committee Saturday to give them input.

Commissioner Dennis Rolfs said as more testing takes place this week, some of the “hype” surrounding the coronavirus will go away.

“Nobody knows right now,” he said. “Somebody might have it now and not even know it.”

Rolfs said closing the senior center would be one of the last things he would want to do.

“Yes, along with day care centers and all of that,” Ehrlich said. “Our workforce has to have some of those services available.”

Ehrlich also said contingency plans need to be developed to continue services at the county courthouse in case that building needs to be closed due to the virus.

In other business:

• Approval was given to appoint Clint Rogers to a vacant seat on the ECMC board of directors. Rush, who nominated Rogers, said Terry Kepka, who previously was appointed to the fill the vacant seat, sent a letter to commissioners resigning the seat due to a conflict of interest. No further details are known. Rogers previously served on the hospital board. He was unavailable for comment.

• A $138,502.60 bid from Griffith Construction of Ellsworth was unanimously approved for the construction of a new trash pit at the Ellsworth County landfill.

However, that approval came after a motion by Rush to approve the low bid of $117,395 submitted by Blue Sage Services, LLC of Beaver, Okla., died for the lack of a second. That low bid was recommended by Jon Halbgewachs of Kirkham Michael & Associates.

Rolfs and Commissioner Steve Dlabal said they would like the county to keep business local.

“I would like to see it local also,” Rush answered.

“We worked with Griffith Construction last time and he did a good job,” said Teresa Shute, landfill supervisor. “He pays a lot of taxes in the county.”

Work on the new pit will be complete by Aug. 31.

• The purchase of a $1,553.94 Lenova desktop computer from Nex-Tech for the county noxious weed department was approved.

• Commissioners signed paperwork associated with a grant application from the county health department to KDHE to fund immunizations, family planning, maternal and child health and emergency preparedness.

The next meeting of the Ellsworth County commissioners is at 9 a.m. Monday, March 23, at the county courthouse.