Southport Mayor Joseph P. Hatem, MD, MPH issues public health statement.

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Brunswick County taking proactive steps to prepare for novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)

A potential global pandemic of the Coronavirus is a public health challenge for many countries that have cases of this novel viral illness, and it is a call for all countries to enact public health measures of prevention, education, identification, quarantine, containment and contact tracing, to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

Mayor Joseph P. Hatem, MD, MPH asserts, “The City of Southport recognizes the possibility of the spread of contagious diseases and has been at the forefront of these efforts since the days of the U.S. Quarantine Station that was located in the Cape Fear River, off of our shore, and Dr. J. Arthur Dosher was the Quarantine Officer from 1918 until 1937.”

As of February 27, 2020, there are fifty cases in the United States, and none identified in North Carolina. World-wide there have been more than 81,000 cases reported.

The Mayor affirms, “It is important for the citizens of our community to not be alarmed but to be aware and informed and to know that the city is involved in promoting and protecting the health of its people.”

Southport City Government is making preparations now for any potential cases of COVID-19 in close cooperation with county, state, and federal public health officials as well as with Dosher Memorial Hospital.