SCOTTSBURG, Ind. (WDRB) -- Indiana health officials are increasing their presence of safety amid the COVID-19 outbreak with the help from the National Guard.
Three military tents have been set up in Scottsburg: two in the parking lot of the health department and one outside the Scott County Jail.
For now, the tents are solely for training purposes ahead of any spike in COVID-19 cases the county could see. Currently, Scott County has seen 11 cases of the coronavirus and two deaths.
The tents were set up in a matter of hours and will be completed sometime Wednesday. They were paid for with military surplus, not tax dollars, and will be used for whatever is needed.
“The better question is what will they not be used for?” Scott County Sheriff Jerry Goodin said. “We can use them for officer quarantine, quarantine for 14 days, prisoner quarantine. We can use them for food tents. We can use them for drive-through testing.”
In total, the county has 14 tents that could eventually be set up for a total of more than 9,000 square feet.
Indiana State Police, Scott Memorial Hospital and the Emergency Management Agency are all working in tandem ready for the training tents to become working clinics should the need arise.
“If we have a need, we know that we’ve got good partners that are going to be here at a minute's notice if we need them,” said Patti Hall with the Scott County Health Department.
Goodin said the county is “going full steam ahead” when it comes to doing whatever it can to make sure residents are safe.
“We will not be blindsided,” Goodin said. “We’re prepared for what could happen.”
The tents will remain in place for at least the next two weeks.
Copyright 2020 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
