Declaration of local emergency by the local Director of Emergency Management due to Coronavirus, consent of the Board of Supervisors

From the Warren County Office of Emergency Management:

Tuesday night, at a regularly scheduled Board of Supervisors meeting, the local Director of Emergency Management, Walter J. Mabe, declared that a local emergency exists in Warren County due to the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19). The Board of Supervisors unanimously consented to this emergency declaration. This declaration will allow the County to continue to prepare and coordinate its response to the potential spread of COVID-19, a communicable disease of public health threat. It will also provide the County direction to seek response and recovery funds pursuant to the Stafford Act. This declaration and consent shall be effective until amended or rescinded by further declaration.

Chairman Walt Mabe stated, “The declaration of this local emergency is a proactive step to ensure that the County is prepared and its citizens are safe. This follows both the declarations of the President of the United States and the Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia in order to ensure Warren County would have access to emergency reimbursement funds, if needed.”

While there are currently no reported COVID-19 cases in Warren County, as the virus approaches the County, residents are asked to consider the following:

If you are sick, please stay home and call a Primary Care Physician to discuss your symptoms. If you have general questions regarding COVID-19, please call the Virginia Department of Health public information line at 1-877-ASK-VDH3 (1-877-275-8343). As always, if you are experiencing a true medical emergency, call 911 or report to the closest hospital’s emergency room for emergency treatment.

Pursuant to the March 17, 2020, made by Virginia Governor Ralph Northam regarding the public health emergency, all restaurants, fitness centers, and theaters are mandated to significantly reduce seating capacity to ten (10) patrons or fewer or close. They are encouraged to continue carry-out and takeaway options, as well as increase the social distancing in restaurants as permitted by the Virginia Department of Health.

This is a rapidly changing situation, and the most current information is available on the following websites: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus or www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus/. Please consult www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavirus for the latest number of COVID-19 cases in Virginia.

Related Article:

County declares ‘Local Emergency’ as State ramps up pandemic response