OIL CITY, Pa. (EYT) – Two Oil City students are currently self-isolated over COVID-19 concerns following a trip outside the country.

According to Oil City High School Principal Scott Stahl, the two students recently took a family trip to a country that is designated as an area of coronavirus concern, and are now self-isolating as a precautionary measure.

Stahl specifically stressed that the isolation is only a precautionary measure, as currently prescribed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

“Like every other district, we’ve been following this coronavirus situation very closely,” Stahl said.

“Dr. Weller has been sharing with us fact sheets from the Pennsylvania Department of Health, and obviously today, with this situation, we worked directly with the Department of Health and the Venango County State Health Center in Seneca.”

Stahl said that the State Health Center was “instrumental” in helping the district move forward while dealing with all of their concerns.

“We just want to make sure we can safeguard the health of students and staff as much as possible.”

While Venango County and the surrounding region have yet to see any confirmed or even presumptive positive cases of COVID-19, as of 12:20 p.m. today, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported there are now seven presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 in Pennsylvania, with five of those cases in Montgomery County, and the other two in Delaware and Wayne counties.

As of the Center for Disease Control (CDC)’s most recent update at noon today, there have been 164 cases reported in the United States in a total of 19 states, with eleven people who have died as a result of the virus so far.

Globally, the World Health Organization (WHO)’s most recent count reported 105,586 confirmed cases, and 3,584 deaths, in a total of 102 countries.

Symptoms of the COVID-19 can include fever, cough, and shortness of breath. The symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as long as 14 days after exposure. Reported illnesses have ranged from people with little to no symptoms to people being severely ill and dying. Individuals most at risk for severe symptoms include the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, anyone who does not feel well should:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.

• Cover any coughs or sneezes with their elbow, not their hands.

• Clean surfaces frequently, such as countertops, light switches, cell phones, and other frequently touched areas.

• Contain- if someone is sick, they should stay home until they are feeling better.

For more information on coronavirus visit the Department of Health website at www.health.pa.gov.

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Category: Local News, News