BATON ROUGE - East Baton Rouge EMS is advising the public to refrain from calling 911 for non-emergencies.

 The public should call 911 for life-threatening situations, such as cardiac arrest, unconsciousness, stroke, heart attacks, seizures and other critical conditions.

 “If a caller is found to have non-life threatening symptoms potentially related to COVID-19, the medics will assess the patient and contact a healthcare provider for instruction,” said EMS Spokesperson Brad Harris.

“If the healthcare provider feels that the patient does not need transport to a hospital, then the medics may instruct the patient to continue self-isolation and self-care from home.”

EMS advises individuals who have non-emergency situations or general questions to call their healthcare provider or the state’s 211 hotline.