The Eaton County Board of Commissioners Chairperson declared a Local State of Emergency on Monday, March 16, 2020. Even though Eaton County still does not have any confirmed cases of COVID-19, the declaration is due to the following conditions that exist within the county:
There is significant monitoring, assessment, and response to the virus outbreak locally, regionally, throughout the State of Michigan, the United States, and in other countries
There has been significant adjustment of policy and procedure for many employees in units of local governmental, businesses, nongovernmental organizations, families, and individuals
The Eaton County Courthouse is being closed to the public and available services are by appointment only
Strict response and patient care protocols by all hospitals, long-term care facilities, police, fire, and EMS personnel for any interaction with the general public exhibiting symptoms of the virus
All K-12 schools in Eaton County are closed starting March 16th until April 5th causing a disruption to meal services and forcing many parents to make emergency child care plans.
Any widespread outbreak within Eaton County could hinder and/or cease most daily operations within the entire county and overwhelm essential services.
“The public health and safety is our number one concern here at Eaton County and in light of the COVID-19 Pandemic, the recent orders by Governor Whitmer and recommendations from our Public Health
Officers it is clear that our objective must be to promote social distancing to limit the spread of this virus.” Eaton County Chairperson Terrance Augustine stated. “This change in operations represents our commitment to protecting our residents and employees to the extent possible, while maintaining essential county services.” Augustine Continued.
This local emergency declaration will be filed with the Michigan State Police Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division.
The situation around the COVID-19 outbreak is changing rapidly. The latest information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus