On Friday, a case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Eagle County. On Saturday, the county announced that officials have filed a local disaster emergency declaration with the state as a response.
In a release, Eagle County Public Health and Environment was quick to point out that the declaration is an administrative tool that can help facilitate access to funding and other resources.
“We don’t know yet what we might need, but an example could be personal protective equipment for medical and first responders, like masks,” said Kris Widlak, Eagle County director of communications.
Some resources can be triggered based on the date a declaration is put in place, so Eagle County officials felt it was important to file the declaration as soon as possible.
“Emergency declarations are a typical response to COVID-19 arriving in a community. States, counties and cities across the country are using them to ensure appropriate resources are available for response and recovery,” the release stated.
The declaration will be in effect until Thursday, unless extended by an action of the Board of County Commissioners, which could consider that option during its next meeting, on March 10.
“While there will likely be more cases of COVID-19 in Eagle County, the declaration does not mean we think our community is less safe than anywhere else affected by the virus,” said Kathy Chandler-Henry, chair of the Eagle County Board of Commissioners. “This is just one more tool to aid in our response.”
Those with questions about COVID-19 can call the CO HELP Hotline at 1-877-462-2911, or visit ecemergency.org.
The state of Colorado on Saturday also urged citizens to visithttp://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/2019-novel-coronavirus for a streamlined source of information.