MOULTRIE, Ga. — While many people are working from home and self-quarantining, it’s important to remember the workers who are still out in the field, especially the emergency service workers. 

First responders are responsible for being the first on the scene of any emergency and in the midst of the coronavirus epidemic, it’s important for them to stay safe while helping the public.

“We’re pretty much doing the same thing that we’ve always done as far as barrier protection,” said Moultrie Fire Department Chief Jeff Thibodeau. “The only thing we’ve changed is that we’re wiping down every piece of equipment and our trucks whenever we’re in contact with someone on a call. 

“The guys are wearing masks,” he said. “So long as they’re outside ten feet of a person, they don’t wear them, but if they have to cut someone out of a wrecked car, then they have to wear a mask because they’re in close quarters with the person. We have stepped it up a little bit, but we’ve always been cautious about cross-contamination protocols.”

It’s still business as usual for the first responders, and while they usually take care to follow protocols regularly, they’ve had to be extra vigilant when interacting with the public.

“We’ve had some unrelated deaths this week,” said Sheriff Rod Howell. “So when my officers go inside the homes, they wear gloves and masks. 

“There have been some cases where officers have touched the bodies without proper protection,” he said, “and they don’t know if the deceased had tested positive or not for the virus. So, we’re wiping down all the surfaces in our vehicles and following the CDC guidelines. I tell them, if you don’t have to touch, don’t touch it.”

While law enforcement and firefighters deal with the pubic in equal measure, it could be said that the emergency medical staff need to be the most careful. Even before there were confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Colquitt County, the hospital had put guidelines in place to make sure the staff stays safe.

“When a call comes into E-911, the dispatcher is asking if anyone at the location has signs and symptoms of COVID-19,” said Emily Watson, director of marketing at Colquitt Regional Medical Center. “If so, EMS is notified and upon arrival puts on the appropriate PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) as recommended by CDC. Prior to arrival at the ER with the patient, ER staff is notified that a patient with symptoms of COVID-19 in en route and ER staff prepare by also donning appropriate PPEs and preparing an isolation room for the patient.”

On Wednesday, Colquitt Regional announced a new, stricter visitation policy after receiving the first three positive COVID-19 test results.

No visitors will be allowed in the emergency room treatment area. One visitor per patient is allowed to remain in the ER waiting room if the visitor does not exhibit any COVID-19 symptoms. An exception will be made for pediatric patients; one parent/caregiver will be allowed to accompany a patient under the age of 18.

Screeners at all the hospital entrances will take the temperature of all employees and visitors entering the building.

The hospital had been making visitation practices stricter even before the coronavirus was a threat because of a sever flu season. The new ER visitor policy is at least the third strengthening of those rules in response to COVID-19 concerns.