Carbon County officials are upset that they cannot get the information from the state about positive cases in the county so that they can better protect first responders.

Commissioner Chris Lukasevich said Thursday that the board of commissioners spoke with U.S. Sen. Robert Casey about the challenge of information sharing they have experienced since the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Carbon.

“We don’t know where these specific cases of COVID-19 are taking place,” he said. “Why is that important? Because, every day we are taking our first responders and potentially putting them into a viral hazard situation.”

He said that if the Pennsylvania Department of Health would release the geographical data to county 911 directors, which has been authorized by the Office of Health and Human Services, it would help better prepare emergency management for a better response and help the county better protect the residents who also serve as first responders in Carbon County.

Lukasevich noted that the county asked state Sen. John Yudichak and Rep. Doyle Heffley to pen a joint letter to the Department of Health requesting the information, but nothing has yet to be received.

Commissioners’ Chairman Wayne Nothstein said that the hospital networks within Carbon County have been very cooperative, but it comes down to the state needing to do the reporting because they get all the reports.

The information, the commissioners said, would just be for emergency management use and not for public release.

The commissioners also approved a public disaster assistance resolution for assistance funding from the pandemic and commended their people for the work they are doing to keep county employees safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Commissioners issued a reminder that this is a serious matter and everyone, not just county offices, should be following the social distancing and shelter-in-place guidelines that are in place.

“People gotta realize that you have to listen, stay at home and stay away from people,” Commissioner Rocky Ahner said, noting that the county has been working tirelessly to try to make the best decisions for the residents, while maintaining necessary operations.

Lukasevich thanked the prison and prison board for making necessary changes to how the correctional facility operates to mitigate a potential crisis if COVID-19 is detected within the prison.

As of Thursday, through the help of various court-related departments, the prison population decreased from 240 to 201 because low-risk individuals who may have been vulnerable to the virus were removed from the prison setting.

In addition, the county had previously stopped visitation, stopped the work-release program, and temporarily suspended weekend sentences and volunteer programs.

Nothstein issued a reminder to the residents that staying home and keeping your distance from people is not just a recommendation, but the smart thing to do.

“We can’t stress that enough,” he said. “The sooner we commit ourselves to not going out when we don’t have to, the sooner we will get through this.”