On August 18, 2020, the county health department announced a policy on the release of information when a public or private facility in Kanawha County closed because of a COVID-19 outbreak.
The policy
- The policy applied to a facility that closed for more than 48 hours.
- The health department encouraged the facility to tell the public, its employees, clients and customers, and the news media about the closure and the reason for it.
- The health department asked for a copy of what the facility released to the media.
- If the facility did not release information, the health department would write its own news release and ask the facility to check it for accuracy.
- Releases would focus on the facility, not on individual cases, to protect patient privacy.
The health officer said a good communication plan was an essential part of public health, especially during a pandemic.
Background
Before the policy, the health department said it could not release information about specific cases. In June 2020, a news report said that when a restaurant worker tested positive, all of the worker’s coworkers were tested. A health department sanitarian decided whether the business had to close or be deep cleaned. At that time, two facilities in the county had been deep cleaned and no restaurants had been closed.
See also health department employee tests positive for COVID-19.