The Daily Standard
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CELINA - In response to the rapidly changing COVID-19 situation, the Mercer County Health District has increased its incident command system structure to full activation.
As of Monday, 3,487 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 68 deaths were reported in 49 states. Ohio reported 50 confirmed cases and 14 hospitalizations due to the virus. District officials report no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the county.
Although no cases have been confirmed in Mercer County, COVID-19 likely is already here, district officials said. They encourage citizens to take the orders and recommendations seriously. Staff are taking dramatic action to slow the spread of the disease. Citizens at high risk include older adults and people who have serious chronic medical conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes or lung disease.
People who believe they may be experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, cough, shortness of breath), can take actions at home. Mildly ill patients are encouraged to stay home and contact their health care provider by phone for guidance.
Patients need to be vigilant in monitoring symptoms and contact a health care provider if symptoms worsen. Individuals exposed to COVID-19 should contact their health care provider immediately. People are urged not to go to the emergency room or urgent care unless they have called ahead.
Immunizations are still available by appointment as of now. Anyone visiting the office for other services such as birth and death certificates or environmental health permits is encouraged to call the office first.
For more information, call the Mercer County Health District at 419-586-3251.
The Mercer County District Library has canceled all events, programs, class visits, outreach and all public group use of meeting rooms until further notice.
Effective at 9 a.m. Wednesday, all Mercer County District Library buildings will be closed to the public. Limited staff will answer phone calls, and some services will be available, including these free resources:
• Curbside pick up at all four library locations during regular library hours. For help, call the library at 419-586-4442 or the curbside pickup hotline at 567-510-5441.
• Wi-Fi access within about 200 feet of all four library locations.
For online resources/apps download the following apps from mercerlibrary.org/apps: SEO Libraries App, Libby, Lynda.com.
Midwest Electric is closing its office to the public indefinitely.
Members can still pay electric bills free of charge by phone, mail or online via SmartHub, which is accessible by mobile app or at midwestrec.com. Members can still drop off payments in the night deposit box at the front of the office. A list of payment options can be found at midwestrec.com/ways-pay.
Those with questions or affected by special circumstances related to COVID-19 and are struggling to pay their bill should call Midwest Electric's office at 800-962-3830. For updates, visit midwestrec.com.
The urgent care center at Joint Township District Memorial Hospital is closed until further notice.
Those experiencing symptoms and needing to be seen by a provider should call their primary care provider. Those without a provider can use the Call A Nurse service. To speak to a registered nurse, call 888-910-3335.
Those experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, should call the emergency department at 419-394-9508 before visiting to help staff limit putting others at risk.
The company has changed shutoff policies during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a news release.
"Our customers should not have to worry about losing service during this critical time," the release stated. "Therefore, Dominion Energy suspended all service disconnections for nonpayment earlier this week. We know the communities we serve rely on us to provide an essential service. We remain committed to providing reliable energy service 24-7."
The Western Ohio Community Action Program has suspended face-to-face appointments. Appointments will be a phone interview, at which time clients will be instructed how to submit required documentation to complete their application or request. This new protocol includes all WOCAP Community Services Programs, including HEAP, Winter Crisis Program, Percentage of Income Payment Plan Plus, emergency services and housing programs.
Previously scheduled appointments will still be valid. However, instead of going into the agency, clients will be called by a WOCAP intake specialist to complete their application over the phone.
The council has suspended all onsite activities and meals until further notice to protect seniors and staff from the coronavirus.
Daily lunches will be delivered to the homes of participating seniors. Office manager Mike Fuller said grocery services also will be change to delivery only. Staff will buy and deliver groceries for participating seniors instead of picking up seniors and taking them to the store.
Transportation is limited to medical only. No transportation will be provided to individuals who have had a fever in the last 24 hours or who have been in contact with anyone with a fever in the last 24 hours.
Fuller stressed the council is still open to help seniors with anything they need. However, he asked people to call 419-586-1644 with any needs or questions rather than stopping by.
Mercer County Job and Family Services has instituted the following office procedures:
Office staff will continue working with the public via email, telephone, web portals and internet access. All essential services such as investigations and drug screens will continue at the agency with extra precautions in place. For emergencies, reports of abuse or neglect or reporting for drug screens, people should report to the visitation area located near the basement elevator and ring for service.
The lobby will be closed to the public until further notice. The agency will continue to serve and process all applications for services.
Applications for services and applicable forms will be left outside of the lobby doors for the public and will be mailed upon request. All benefit interviews and state hearings will take place by phone. Any documentation, payments and correspondence delivered to the offices should be left in the JFS locked drop box outside of the basement office door. All originals will be returned to participants by mail.
Residents should contact Mercer County JFS at mercercountyohio.org/county-services/job-family-services or by telephone at 419-586-5106.
Mercer County OhioMeansJobs Center has instituted the following office procedures:
The lobby will be closed to the public until further notice. The agency is not closing and will continue to serve and process all applications for services. Office staff will continue working with the public via email, telephone, web portals and internet access.
Applications for services and applicable forms are outside of the lobby doors for the public and will be mailed upon request. All interviews will take place over the phone. Any documentation to be delivered to the office may be left in the Job and Family Services locked drop box outside of the basement office door. Any originals will be returned to the participants by mail.
The public is encouraged to contact Mercer County OhioMeanJobs Center via telephone at 419-586-6409 or at mercercountyohio.org/WIOA. The employment-seeking services and trainings remain available on OhioMeansJobs.com.
For state unemployment services, file online at unemployment.ohio.gov, 24 hours/day, seven days/week or by calling toll-free 877-644-6562 or TTY 614-387-8408, (excluding holidays) from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday.
Mercer County Child Support Enforcement Agency has instituted the following office procedures:
The lobby will be closed to the public until further notice. The agency is not closing and will continue to serve and process all applications for services. Office staff will continue working with the public via email, telephone, web portals and internet access.
No cash payments will be accepted until further notice. All other payments should be made by mail to P.O. Box 649, Celina, Ohio 45822. Postage-paid envelopes will be provided outside the lobby area. Payments may also be made online at oh.smartchildsupport.com Court hearings will continue with extra precautions in place.
Applications for services and applicable forms are outside of the lobby doors for the public and will be mailed upon request. All administrative and state hearings shall take place over the phone. Any documentation and correspondence to be delivered to the office may be left in the Job and Family Services locked drop box located outside of the basement office door. Any originals will be returned to the program participants by mail.
The public can contact the agency via jfs.ohio.gov/OCS, mercercountyohio.org/county-services/child-support-enforcement-agency, or at 419-586-7961.
The AgCredit ACA, annual stockholders meeting will be held by teleconference only with no in-person meeting.
The event will consist of a short business meeting via teleconference to hear the nominating committee report of director and nominating committee candidates and allow for any further nominations.
Members should call 866-235-6547. At the tone, enter 419-435-7758 and enter # at the prompt.
Some city facilities are closed to the public or have restricted access until further notice. Citizens are encouraged to call departments in advance to determine how officials can address needs. Department phone numbers are available on the city's website at cityofstmarys.net.
To pay utility bills, customers are encouraged to use online payment methods or to put payment in the drop boxes located in the tax and utility office parking lot on High Street and inside the main entrance of the village offices on Spring Street. Use of the drive-up window is also available.
Completed tax returns with the required documents may be placed in the drop box located inside the main entrance to the tax and utility office. Tax returns can also be completed online at payments.lexisnexis.com/oh/city/stmary. Call 419-300-3198 for more information.
City officials will make policy changes as necessary. More news will be posted on the city website under Latest News.
Walmart stores, which are normally open 24 hours, are cutting hours to 6 a.m.-11 p.m. as grocery chains across the country take time to sanitize and restock.
Stores will adjust hours of operation to 9 a.m.-7:30 p.m. on days when additional trucks arrive. Stores will post signs notifying customers about modified hours and a complete list of stores with altered schedules is available daily online at RulerFoods.com/hours.
Regular store hours of 8 a.m.-9 p.m. will be observed unless noted.
Dollar General strongly encourages customers to allow the first hour of operations be used solely for the shopping needs of senior customers, who are among the most vulnerable to the COVID-19 coronavirus.
Other customers are encouraged to plan their shopping trips around this window of time to allow the most susceptible customers in our communities the ability to shop during the first hour that stores are open.
All stores will close one hour earlier than current closing times to allow employees to clean and restock store shelves.
