Butler County officials have set backup stations to receive and dispatch 911 calls due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Emergency Services Director Steve Bicehouse said the alternate stations, which are in the building's meeting room and two offices, would be used if someone working in the communications room would become ill.

Bicehouse said the affected room would be vacated, so it could be sanitized, and the employees handling 911 calls would be relocated to the alternate work stations in the interim.

“It wouldn't impact operations,” he said.

The normal work stations already are separated beyond the six-foot guideline for social distancing, so no changes were required for the main communications room.

Bicehouse said the alternate stations are a precautionary measure.

“We'd rather be proactive than reactive,” he said.

The county continues to take precautions as the coronavirus continues.

Butler Memorial Hospital's number of inpatients being treated for coronavirus-like symptoms grew by five to 16 between Sunday and Monday, according to Jana Panther, a spokeswoman for Butler Health Systems.Of the 16 patients, seven are suspected of having COVID-19, and nine tested positive. Four of the 16 patients are being treated in the intensive care unit.Clarion Hospital is treating one suspected case and one confirmed case in the ICU.In addition to treating patients, BHS continues to test for COVID-19. Through Friday, the system completed 1,480 tests, with 1,142 taken at its outdoor facility.So far, 86 patients tested positive through BHS testing, and 317 people are awaiting results.BHS also reported testing data for Clarion Hospital, which has tested 285 patients, with 231 at its outdoor facility. Seven patients have tested positive through Clarion, and 52 tests are pending.As of noon Monday, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 12,980 confirmed COVID-19 cases statewide, 1,470 new cases from the day before.The department also reported 12 additional deaths overnight, bringing the number of Pennsylvanians who have died from the virus to 162.Locally, the health department reported four new cases in Butler County, bringing the total Monday to 91 positive cases, with still just two deaths.Neighboring Allegheny County reported 642 positive cases and four deaths according to the health department.Based on the report, data for other surrounding counties are as follows: Westmoreland, 157 confirmed cases; Beaver, 96 confirmed cases and six deaths; Lawrence, 24 confirmed cases and two deaths; Armstrong, 13 confirmed cases; Mercer, 18 confirmed cases; Clarion, six confirmed cases; and Venango, five confirmed cases.As of Monday afternoon, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported there are 330,891 positive cases reported nationwide, including 8,910 deaths.