205 W 5th Ave Ellensburg, WA 98926-2887
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Kittitas (pronounced 'KITT-i-tass') County is located in central Washington State. It spans from the lush forested Cascade Mountains to the upper Yakima River Valley plains and the Columbia River.
Kittitas County, WA - 02/28/2020 - The Kittitas County Public Health Department is always working to prevent or limit the spread of disease. This work is familiar to us, but we realize that the general public does not deal with disease prevention every day, so below is some information to help.
COVID-19 is all over the news. I’m worried. Should I be worried? Be aware, but not scared. There are always things that the public can do to help prevent the spread of any illness. KCPHD wants you to be informed with trusted sites for information like the Washington State Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control. What do you mean I can prevent the spread of illness? Handwashing, covering your cough, and staying home when you are sick are ways that everyone can help to stop the spread of illness. This includes preventing an illness like COVID-19. That doesn’t feel like enough. Shouldn’t I be doing more? There are lots of interventions to stop diseases from spreading, but there are also consequences to interventions. We take that seriously and only use interventions when they are required. If and when we need more intense interventions, we will notify the public immediately. But what about wearing a mask? KCPHD is not recommending or providing masks at this time. Wearing a mask would be a personal choice, but not one that public health is suggesting at this time. And what about large crowds? Should I stop going to events or should I avoid large crowds of people? No. KCPHD does not recommend cancellation or closure of any events. We do not recommend cancellation of school. Cancelling major public events is a major intervention and there are other big interventions, but we only use those when we need to use those interventions. There can be significant consequences to the more intense interventions. For example, canceling a major event can result in public outrage, loss of revenue, and may affect some community groups more than others. Will KCPHD end up implementing more severe interventions? We will provide information on any interventions that we are asking of our public. That information will always be on our website and our facebook page. Are other agencies ready for responding to this? Like large employers and schools? There is information available to employers and schools at this website: https://www.doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/Coronavirus Can I trust what I’m hearing about COVID-19 and what is being done? The risk is low in Kittitas County for COVID-19. We will provide weekly updates on our website and social media. Our mission is to protect the people of Kittitas County and we will do what is necessary to keep people safe.
Kittitas County, from the Cascades to the Columbia, and online at http://www.co.kittitas.wa.us
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Contact: Kasey Knutson, Public Information Officer, 509-962-7515
