Oktibbeha County EMA opens virtual situation room amidst coronavirus outbreak

The Oktibbeha County EMA is working with response teams in the area to get ahead of the coronavirus.

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The coronavirus is inching closer to our area.

Ema director kristen campanella said her agency is taking action to stop the virus in its tracks.

"we still want to talk about prevention and how the body can do that, but we're almost on the edge of a response mode."

Kristen campanella-ema director, oktibbeha co.

0:00-0:07 oktibbeha county now sits at a level 4 response plan, after the state's health department confirmed two more cases of covid-19.

Ema director kristen campanella said a level 4 means her team is actively monitoring the outbreak.

((sot)) "right now our focus i believe is going to be preventing the virus and what my department can do and getting resources that anybody may need."

To get ahead of the virus spreading to oktibbeha county the e-m-a opened a virtual situation room.

The virtual situation room is set up for the ema team to collaborate with other response teams in the area.

((sot)) "we have representatives from every response agency in the county that's going to post what they're doing now, if they need anything."

As the starkville board of aldermen listened to campanella's response plans for the coronavirus..

Some questioned the och regional medical center staff about how concerned they should be.

The hospital staff saying its onky a matter of time..

((sot)) ""if we get this, if it does come to our area which we expect that it will most likely at the end of month we will likely start to see patients especially with the travel and people coming back, we don't expect overall in the population to see a huge mortality rate."

The o-c-h regional medical center has a contigency plan in place.

The hospital is currently at a level 3 since the world health organization declared the virus a pandemic.

In oxford, a local effort has stepped up to