BATAVIA, OH — Clermont County has expanded a group in place since March to build its COVID-19 Defense Team. Gov. Mike DeWine recently called for counties to form defense teams to address the dramatic increase in COVID-19 cases.

Representatives from the library, faith-based partners, social services agencies, the private sector and local government have been recruited to extend the COVID-19 Multi-Agency Coordination Group. This group, coordinated by Clermont County Emergency Management Agency, has been meeting regularly via Zoom since the pandemic first hit. It includes representatives from Public Health, hospitals, county government, law enforcement and fire departments

David Painter, president of the Board of County Commissioners, said the Defense Team brings together partners from all facets of our community to assess the local situation and focus on actionable items to reduce the spread of Covid-19.

“The best solutions do not always come from a top-down approach,” Painter said. “We can learn from each other’s successes.”

The team is still recruiting additional private sector partners and local officials. Its distribution list reaches 131 individuals.