As Gov. Tom Wolf announced plans Thursday for statewide social distancing amidst the national coronavirus outbreak, local officials are calling on individuals to focus on the facts.

“People should monitor the appropriate resources for information and not rely on social media,” said Steve Bicehouse, the Butler County Emergency Services director.

Bicehouse recommended the websites of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Health for factual information.

As of 4 p.m. Thursday, the CDC is reporting 1,215 total confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States with 36 resulting in death.

The CDC has reported that roughly 80 percent of COVID-19 cases present mild symptoms and result in self-quarantine at home, while the remaining 20 percent experience severe symptoms and require hospitalization.

According to the CDC, many of the people who have died from the virus had pre-existing medical conditions or were elderly.

Wolf announced Thursday his plans for statewide social distancing, which has already been taking place in Butler County.

Over the past few days, both local and state events and gatherings have been cancelled or postponed.

“By closing these facilities, we can control the spread of the disease,” Wolf said. “That's the hope.”

Wolf's plan would begin Friday and be in effect for 14 days.

He said the plan has three key implementations statewide, which include encouraging large gatherings, especially those with more than 200 attendees, to cancel or postpone; discouraging public recreation, such as going to the gym, movie theaters and nonessential shopping; and calling religious leaders to use their discretion to prevent the spread of the illness in their communities.

“The health and safety of all Pennsylvanians, that's my primary concern,” Wolf said.

Bicehouse said while the county has a pandemic plan in place, and has since 2004, each business and individual should have their own plans in place.

“Everybody should have their own plan,” he said.

He said the goal is to lessen the immediate impact on local hospitals and emergency services.

“(Social distancing) should, in theory, take some of the load off of emergency responders, but they're going to be business as usual and taking care of patients just as they always do,” he said.

Bicehouse said the county will continue monitoring the situation, but as of Thursday afternoon believed the outbreak had not reached the county.

Part of Wolf's news conference also discussed the status of COVID-19's spread across the state.

Since last Friday, the number of COVID-19 cases in the state has grown from two to 22, and there are 219 cases under investigation.

“We have not seen sustained community spread,” said state Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine, who also spoke at the governor's news conference. “We want to prevent that.”

In Montgomery County, which is being described as the epicenter of the state's outbreak, more strict social distancing measures have been issued, including the closure of schools.

No word has come from the state government regarding any other school districts, including those in Butler County.

“These actions may seem severe, but they're far less Draconian than what we may have to do in the future, if we don't act now,” Wolf said.

Levine said there is currently not a rapid COVID-19 test. She said initial testing relies on the rapid flu test, which if negative could indicate a COVID-19 infection, among other possibilities.

She said it is possible, but rare, for a person to have two co-existing viruses such as the flu or COVID-19, which is why the flu test rules out most who have a positive result.

Further testing for COVID-19 patients is being done at the CDC and state Department of Health with priority for those who have the highest risk.

“At this time, I do not anticipate a shortage, but there are contingency plans for us,” she said.

Levine also pointed to the fact that healthcare providers could also submit tests to commercial labs.

Last week, Butler Health System announced it was prepared to take in coronavirus patients and has been working on protocols since January.

Jana Panther, the director of marketing, public relations and the BHS Foundation, said as of early Thursday morning, she was not aware of any potential cases of coronavirus at any of their locations.

Dr. John Love, an infectious disease specialist with BHS, said it's important that people don't rush to a hospital and call ahead to their primary care provider if they are concerned about having the virus.

“It's worth a call,” Love said.

He said now more than ever to practice good hygiene and self-awareness, especially if people need to be out in public.

“I would like to encourage people to wash their hands and cough or sneeze into their elbow and I would like them to stay home if they're sick,” Love said.

Both the CDC and the state Health Department have extensive lists and tips on how to reduce the risk of getting sick on their websites.