Coronavirus: County task force training, state gets federal money, Amtrak still rolling

Mar. 11--Training will soon begin for local first responders to handle COVID-19 exposure, according to a representative of the Calhoun County Infectious Disease Task Force.

The task force, comprised of county health officials, first responders, emergency management leaders and public information officers, held two meetings this week, according to Michael Barton, director of the Calhoun County Emergency Management Agency, and a member of the task force's leadership. The first meeting was Monday, when focus groups assigned to specific topics convened to discuss their ideas to combat COVID-19, the novel coronavirus that has become a frequent topic of discussion in the community. Another meeting on Tuesday included more than 60 elected officials, city department heads and first responder groups from around the county, Barton said.

One product of the meetings is a training plan for safety agencies in the county over the next three weeks. The training is set to start next week, administered by the Center for Domestic Preparedness, the training facility at McClellan briefly planned by the federal Department of Health and Human Services to house COVID-19 patients.

"We have training set up and established, to run for about three weeks at Oxford, Anniston, Jacksonville, and some additional training sites," Barton said Wednesday. "We've spread them out throughout the county so all the public safety organizations could come from around the county and participate at their closest site."

Training sessions will last two hours, with a focus on first responders and the use of personal protective equipment.

"That's donning, doffing, how to work with it when they've got it on, and transport techniques," he said. "If you've got a suspected patient or a confirmed patient and you've got to transport them, how do you do that to keep them safe, keep the first responder safe and the community safe."

Barton said county residents with questions about COVID-19 should dial 211 for more information, and visit the EMA's infectious diseases page on its website at calhounema.org/idtf.

Federal money incoming

The Department of Health and Human Services announced Wednesday that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will give Alabama $8.1 million for COVID-19 response.

According to a release from HHS, more than $560 million will be given to state health officers throughout the nation. Mississippi will receive $5.8 million, Georgia will get $15 million, Florida will receive $27.7 million and Tennessee will receive $10.5 million, according to a CDC list of state awards. California and Texas received the largest allocations, with $42.9 and $36.9 million, respectively.

The press release didn't specify how the money would be spent, though Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the CDC, was quoted as saying that "our state, local, tribal and territorial public health partners are on the front lines of the COVID-19 response."

A spokeswoman for the Alabama Department of Public Health provided a statement from Dr. Scott Harris, state health officer, who said the department would receive federal guidance next week on how the money can be used.

The money is part of the $8.3 billion Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, according to the release.

Amtrak still on track

The rail transit service Amtrak announced Wednesday it will waive change fees for bookings made through April 30.

Customers who have made travel plans with the train service, which operates the Crescent Line -- a railway that runs between New Orleans and New York City and includes a stop in Anniston -- can change their ticket reservations without paying fees to do so. That includes cancelations, which can be handled through a phone call to 800-872-7245, or other adjustments, which can be managed through the company's website or smartphone app.

"We have temporarily suspended three trains that operate between New York and Washington," company spokesman Roger Harris wrote in the release, "due to lower demand and additional changes to our schedule are under consideration."

The trains were identified as 2401, 2402 and 2403 in the release. As of Wednesday, tickets could still be ordered through the company website as soon as Thursday for trips from Anniston to New York City.

Harris wrote that Amtrak has increased the frequency of cleaning on its trains and added more antibacterial products to its train and station stock.

Assistant Metro Editor Ben Nunnally: 256-235-3560.

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