Wise County, Virginia’s first confirmed case of COVID-19 has been confirmed by the town in which the case was determined.

In a Facebook post Saturday morning, the Appalachia Town Hall and Town Manager Fred Luntsford confirmed that a person residing in Appalachia has tested positive for the novel coronavirus. In the post, Luntsford says the person was quarantined on March 30 as a precaution and later tested positive.

Luntsford wrote in the post that the person is a resident of the Wise County Housing Authority complex in the town.

“It is not a time to panic, but a time to heighten your awareness of your surroundings and to make sure you are staying home as much as possible,” Luntsford wrote. “If you have to leave home please enact social distancing.”

Travis Anderson, the deputy fire chief and EMS chief with Appalachia Fire Department said in a video posted to the department’s Facebook page that two of the department’s firefighters were exposed to the person who tested positive. Anderson said in the video that the fire department transported the person to the hospital for reasons not apparently related to coronavirus, but the patient later tested positive for the virus.

Anderson said the two exposed firefighters have been quarantined and their conditions are being monitored. He said the fire department remains adequately staffed to handle emergency calls in its coverage area. He added that neighboring departments have been notified of the situation and stand ready to provide mutual aid to Appalachia if needed.

Luntsford, in his Facebook post, says the situation is under the direction of the Virginia Department of Health.

Source: Mountain Top