From the Dyer County Mayor’s office –

This morning we were notified by the Tennessee Dept. of Health that a resident of Dyer County has tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The patient, a juvenile, has been placed in quarantine and is recovering from a mild case of illness.

Update: Before I could release this statement I was notified by the TDH that a second case has been confirmed. This patient has fully recovered and is no longer contagious. This patient was traveling out of the county during their infectious period.

This is not unexpected. Your local officials have been preparing for and expecting this for weeks. We are coordinating with the Tennessee Dept. of Health and the healthcare community to make sure all Dyer County residents are protected.

The worst thing we can do during times like this is panic. It is important to remember that the vast majority of patients that contract this virus have a mild case of illness and recover quickly.

If you are ill with respiratory symptoms, it is very important that you call your doctor first. DO NOT GO TO THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT or any doctor’s office without calling first. We all have to work together to make sure our health care community is not overwhelmed with the worried well citizens.

We will continue to closely monitor this evolving situation and will adapt our response as appropriate. Over the next several weeks we might all suffer some inconveniences. You might see things like, you have to go thru the drive-thru at a bank or local restaurant.

There might some temporary closures of businesses in the community, but this will end and we will be stronger as a community.

Here are some things you can do to help:

As I mentioned earlier, do not go to the doctor or ER without calling first. Keep your hands clean and continue to practice social distancing.

If you are feeling bad, stay home. Keep an eye on our elders. They need to be staying at home as much as possible and we need to support them and keep them safe. People over the age of 65 and those with prior illness are at greatest risk, so we need to come together and support them.

Again, I want to emphasize that this was not unexpected. We are prepared and are working closely with the Tennessee Dept. of Health and all agencies of government at all levels to minimize the impact on the residents of Dyer County. That has been and continues to be our primary concern. We will get through this together. Of this I am certain.

Individuals with specific questions can call the TDH information line at (877) 857-2945 or (731) 421-6782.

Again, this is fully expected and more cases will follow, but we are prepared!

Dyer County Mayor
Chris Young