T-L Photo/ROBERT A. DEFRANK Belmont County Commissioner J.P. Dutton speaks Wednesday. He and other officials are members of a local task force to respond to cases of the coronavirus.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Belmont County officials formed a task force to coordinate response to any local cases of COVID-19.

Belmont County Common Pleas Judge Frank Fregiato and Robert Sproul, county deputy health commissioner, spoke to commissioners Wednesday. The task force includes Fregiato, Sproul, Clerk of Courts Cynthia Fregiato, Commissioners Josh Meyer, J.P. Dutton and Jerry Echemann, Sheriff David Lucas, health board President Elizabeth Glick and the head of the nursing staff at Belmont County Jail, and jail Administrator Brent Carpenter.

“Yesterday afternoon (Tuesday), the Coronavirus Task Force of Belmont County was created informally. We don’t believe it’s necessary ,we don’t believe it’s going to have to be activated. However, if an emergency, if a crisis does arise, be assured … we are ready for it … ,” Judge Fregiato said. “We are relying on the health department to give us instructions, and they are relying on the latest medical information and directives from the state.”

Talk focused on heavily-traveled areas, such as the courthouse. Fregiato said initial plans in the event of a local outbreak include keeping the courthouse open with a skeleton staff of himself, the clerk of courts and security on the first floor. The common pleas and clerk of courts offices would remain open for emergency reasons.

As the county continues ton deal with jail overcrowding, Sproul said jail officials would handle any issues on a case-by-case basis. He expects limits on visitations to be implemented, though Lucas said Wednesday that no changes had been implemented.

“They’re kind of quarantined right now within the jail,” Sproul said, noting he believes the coronavirus risk is minimal in Belmont County and the surrounding area.

“This is all being proactive, planning ahead, anticipating. You don’t want to react. … We want to have an idea of what we’re going to do,” he said. “We’re dealing with a limited number of people. You have to have traveled to foreign countries. You had to have been in contact with a sick person. … Risk … is very, very low at this point.”

Sproul said there is no timeline for when the risk of infection will pass.

“This is a new, novel virus. Basically there’s not a lot of known entities about it,” Sproul said. “If we can contain it, if we can stop the sick people from transmitting it, it should stop.”

Sproul said older individuals are particularly vulnerable to the virus and younger and healthy individuals should recover as from a normal cold or flu. He said the area’s senior residences are taking precautions such as more stringent cleaning and sanitation and restrictions on visitation.

Sproul urges people not to panic and to consult reputable websites such as belmontcountyhealth.com for the latest coronavirus news, as well as coronavirus.ohio.gov. He said the Ohio Department of Health has a call center open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily at 833-427-5634.