The Grundy County Board approved and extended an emergency declaration until their May meeting. | By Teemu08/Flickr
The Grundy County Board approved and extended an emergency declaration until their May meeting. | By Teemu08/Flickr
The Grundy County Board approved extending the local disaster declaration due to the the COVID-19 pandemic until it meets in May.
The first COVID-19 case in the county led to Grundy Board Chairman Chris Balkema to issue an emergency declaration on March 24, Morris Herald-News reported.
The declaration activated the county’s Emergency Operations Center which allows the emergency management agency to buy supplies for first responders and health providers. State law allows the board chairman to approve COVID-19-related emergency purchases outside of normal procedures. The board must later ratify those purchases, Morris Herald-News said.
By making the declaration, the county, its health-care providers and first responders get placed in a higher tier for emergency supplies and protective equipment from state and federal supplies.
The board needed to approve the resolution because under state law the emergency declaration by the chairman expires after seven days.
The Grundy County Board approved the disaster declaration extension 18-0, Morris Herald-News reported. The next scheduled meeting of the board is scheduled to take place on May 12.
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