NWI Staging for COVID-19 Emergency Ops Center
(image courtesy: Pixabay/Gerd Altmann)
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowNorthwest Indiana health officials could see a command center set up as soon as next week at Gary/Chicago International Airport in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Our partners at The Times of Northwest Indiana report the emergency operations center would support counties in northwest Indiana that make up Indiana Homeland Security District 1.
Porter County Health officer Dr. Maria Stamp told the publication setting up the EOC would help with communication flow and coordinate the COVID-19 response for the five counties in the district.
Stamp says the center would also help to provide consistent messaging to the public.
The publication says Porter County has not seen any confirmed cases of coronavirus, except for the LaPorte County resident being treated at Porter Regional Hospital. But health officials warn it’s just a matter of time.
The Times reports 18 or 19 individuals in Porter county are being monitored because of their travel to foreign countries where the outbreak has been severe.
Neighboring Lake county has three confirmed coronavirus cases, according to the latest report from the Indiana State Department of Health. There are no known cases in Newton and Jasper counties, which makes up the rest of Homeland Security District 1.