ALLEGAN COUNTY, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — The Emergency Operations Center (EOC) of Allegan County has announced that it has moved it’s emergency activation to “partial status” during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The EOC has been at “full” activation since March 21, but officials say that the demand on EOC resources has decreased recently. Effective midnight June 3, 2020, the Allegan County EOC will move to a “partial” activation, meaning it will continue to monitor the situation and convene when necessary to assess and coordinate efforts.
The Public Health Operations Center (PHOC) will remain fully activated to continue monitoring the spread of this virus.
Officials say that since the beginning of the pandemic, 19 EOC volunteers have volunteered over 551 hours of service to Allegan County. They have performed tasks including the following:
- Pickup and delivery of supplies and Personal protection equipment (PPE)
- Helping to construct protective barriers for polling centers
- Maintaining the Special Needs Registry, over 1,419 phone calls to our Special Needs population
- Provided technical support to the EOC
- Assisted with inventory management of PPE
“This is a step in a positive direction, related largely to the community’s social distancing behavior,” Allegan County Health Officer Angelique Joynes said. “However, we are not completely out of the woods. We will only be as successful as mitigation continues with social distancing, hand hygiene, cleaning, and staying home if you’re sick or exposed.”
In a related matter, the Allegan County Health Department will be offering free COVID-19 testing on Saturday, June 6 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The free event is a partnership with the Michigan National Guard, and will be available to citizens even if they are not showing symptoms.
Individuals must be over the age of 18 to be tested.
This event will be hosted in the parking lot of the Human Services Building, located at 3255 122nd Avenue in Allegan.
Anyone who is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, including fever, cough, sore throat, body aches or shortness of breath should seek testing.
No pre-screening or doctor’s note is needed.
