Seat Pleasant Health Officer Announces COVID-19 Exposure Precautions for City Council

Health Officer Dr. Dawne M. Carroll issues directive to City Council after 6 members attended a conference where two attendees tested positive for COVID-19

Seat Pleasant, MD, Wednesday, March 18, 2020 –As Seat Pleasant’s newly appointed Health Officer, Dr. Dawne M. Carroll issued a directive regarding COVID-19 exposure precautions for members of the City Council as some Councilmembers attended the National League of Cities Congressional City Conference, which was held March 8, 2020—March 11, 2020.

On March 17, 2020 the National League of Cities (NLC) released a statement that two attendees of the Congressional City Conference tested positive for COVID-19. The individuals were active participants in the conference, attending general sessions and workshops, as did the 6 Seat Pleasant Councilmembers in attendance. The conference attendees are currently recovering at home under the care of healthcare professionals and feeling better. While the NLC is not able to officially determine how and when these individuals contracted the virus and, due to privacy laws, cannot disclose the name of the affected individuals, Seat Pleasant was notified immediately of the potential exposure risk. At this time, there are the only two known confirmed cases.

In response to this and to protect the public health and safety, Seat Pleasant Health Officer Dr. Carroll issued a directive to Councilmembers to self-quarantine for 14 days until they can receive COVID-19 testing. “This will help reduce the risk of spread to our constituents, staff, and other members of the public,” said Dr. Carroll.

In the spirit of transparency and proactive caution, Dr. Carroll announced the self-quarantine directive at the City’s COVID-19 and Health Officer Appointment Press Conference, which was made available to live-stream. Mayor Eugene W. Grant discussed the numerous precautions City Hall has already taken to reduce the potential spread of contagious disease by implementing a telework schedule for non-essential employees, closing City Hall to the general public and only allowing entrance to essential personnel, and holding City Council meetings virtually.

“Today, we offer up our prayers and support to 6 of the 7 members of the Seat Pleasant City Council,” stated Eugene W. Grant, Mayor of Seat Pleasant: A Smart City of Excellence. “We will come together as a government and community to give support to our Council who have dedicated themselves to the service of our community,” Grant further stated.

For more information on the event, please contact Rachel Kubi at rachel.kubi@seatpleasantmd.gov or 240-468-3912.

About The City of Seat Pleasant, MD

Founded in 1931, the city of Seat Pleasant is a small bedroom community west of Washington, DC in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Its government is balanced with a Mayor and Seven Councilmembers. Seat Pleasant: A Smart City of Excellence is committed to finding ways to deliver services effectively and efficiently and provide meaningful and innovative methods to engage our citizenry. The City of Seat Pleasant is the first Smart City in the state of Maryland offering Smart City services that are better, faster, and personalized making it a “City for Me” using information and communication technology, with the internet of things.

For more information on the City of Seat Pleasant, visit us online at http://www.seatpleasantmd.gov or http://www.smallsmartcity.org, Twitter @cityofseatpleasant or Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/cityofseatpleasant.