Carbondale Reporter

Murphysboro Chamber of Commerce issued the following announcement on Dec. 29

Due to changes occurring at the State level, local health departments are changing many COVID-19  contact tracing & case investigation procedures. Beginning yesterday, the Illinois Department of Public  Health (IDPH) began sending an automated text message to all new COVID-19 positive cases. All who  receive this text are encouraged to call the IDPH phone number listed in the text or to click on the  provided link to view isolation information and resources. 

Jackson County Health Department (JCHD) will be conducting contact tracing and case investigation  with certain new cases, including those from congregate care facilities and ones which IDPH was unable  to reach through the automated text message. All other cases will be contacted by IDPH. 

JCHD will continue to be a trusted resource for the community and answer questions related to COVID 19. We will support schools in their efforts to exclude positive students and identify students potentially  exposed. JCHD will also investigate outbreaks and work with employers and others to implement  COVID-19 mitigation measures. 

JCHD will no longer be able to provide daily COVID-19 data via social media or other means. The latest  data available can be obtained via IDPH (https://dph.illinois.gov/covid19/data.html) and CDC COVID-19  County View – Jackson County (https://tinyurl.com/2p9ybvfk). 

JCHD will no longer be able to initiate contact with employers with information on positive employees,  or able to provide documentation on isolation or quarantine release. We will be able to answer calls,  look up information on cases, and provide employers with guidance. 

Jackson County Health Department values the efforts of our community partners to mitigate the spread  of COVID-19 and we will continue to support such efforts. We apologize for any inconvenience caused  by these changes, but we remain resolute in helping Jackson County residents address pandemic  challenges.  

P.O. Box 307 Stay Connected:  Murphysboro, IL 62966-0307 www.jchdonline.org Phone 618/684-3143 

Original source can be found here.