Mayor, Other City Officials Test Negative for COVID-19

WHEELING -- Several city leaders in Wheeling who were tested for COVID-19 last week -- after a fellow councilman had tested positive for the novel coronavirus -- are seeing results come back as negative.

Mayor Glenn Elliott and a number of other city officials who had come into close contact with Vice Mayor Chad Thalman during the July 7 regular city council meeting have confirmed that they were tested, and test results have been negative for COVID-19.

Only a few city leaders still are awaiting results, officials indicated, but all of those who they have known to have results back were cleared.

Despite the results, city leaders may likely take a step back from having in-person meetings.

"Based on where we are today, with the updated guidelines from the governor, I can say that I personally am leaning towards having next week's meeting conducted via Zoom," Elliott said this week. "We are still waiting on the results from all council members and staff who were at the last meeting. So far, all results received have been negative, including mine."

This week, Thalman said he remains in quarantine but has not experienced symptoms of the illness.

"I feel fine," Thalman said. "I've had no issues."

Thalman said that since he was diagnosed last week, he has been in contact with the Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department and its Administrator Howard Gamble. Because some people who test positive seem to continue showing positive results for several weeks or even months after their initial diagnosis, the health department has been advising COVID-19 patients when they should be released from quarantine. Instead of being tested on a weekly basis and awaiting for a negative result, health officials deem a patient non-contagious following 14 days of being in quarantine after initial contact or after no symptoms have been noted, Thalman indicated.

However, Thalman has remained virtually asymptomatic throughout his infection with the virus. He did note that before his diagnosis, he did recall experiencing very mild chest congestion and body aches, but he did not attribute these episodes to being ill.

"It was no different than symptoms I experience with seasonal allergies this time of year anyway," he said.

Thalman had attended last week's city council meeting in-person with the rest of the council, city officials, members of the media and general public inside council chambers at the City-County Building downtown. It was only the second in-person council meeting to be held since the pandemic began, and everyone entering the building was required to wear a mask and to maintain social distance.

After the meeting, Thalman was informed that he had been in contact with a local person who likely was exposed to COVID-19. He was subsequently tested and found to be positive. He did contact tracing, informed everyone with whom he had contact within the past several days and advised them to get tested.

In a strange twist of fate, Thalman said the person with whom he had contact -- prompting him to take action and get tested -- had subsequently tested negative.

"So who knows where I got it," he said. "I was shocked when I told everyone I had it. But as of right now, I'm in quarantine until the Health Department clears me."

If city council meetings take place virtually again, Thalman and all of the council members can participate. If next Tuesday's meeting takes place in-person, Thalman would need to be deemed recovered by the Health Department beforehand.

Other council members have also expressed a preference toward meeting virtually online under the circumstances.

"While I would certainly defer to the mayor and council as a whole on the topic, I believe that based on the recent 25-person max occupancy directive from the governor, we would quickly exceed that number between council, city staff, the news media and any residents or business owners that may attend," said Councilman Ben Seidler, who on Wednesday confirmed his test also came back as negative. "I think this would put us in a position where we would need to turn people away. I don't think we have a choice but to hold the council meetings via Zoom until the restrictions are lifted by the governor."

Last week after Thalman's diagnosis was made public, the Wheeling Planning Commission meeting and public hearing on the GC&P Development project in Woodsdale was postponed because of health concerns. The meeting and accompanying public hearing was scheduled to take place Monday evening at the White Palace and was expected to draw a sizeable crowd.

This week, the Wheeling Human Rights Commission announced that its next meeting at noon on Tuesday will be conducted virtually online because of concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic and in light of restrictions on public gatherings being tightened again.

Wheeling City Council is expected later this week to announce agenda items and the manner in which Tuesday evening's meeting will be conducted.