BERRIEN COUNTY, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — With a mounting number of confirmed COVID-19 cases, a Southwest Michigan county is issuing an emergency declaration in an attempt to contain the outbreak.
On Thursday Berrien County declared a local state of emergency with the hope that move allows for more access to state and federal resources.
“We are working diligently to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Berrien County and this declaration will provide additional support to help ensure we can meet the needs of our community,” said health officer Nicki Britten.
At last reported Berrien County has 11 confirmed cases of COVID-19 among county residents. The county health department said in a statement that the emergency declaration will further the efforts of the Berrien County Emergency Operations Center to respond to the public crisis.
The operations center is working in cooperation with the Berrien County Health Department and Spectrum Health Lakeland Hospital to detect, screen, and monitor COVID-19 cases.
Michigan currently reports 2,295 confirmed cases of coronavirus in state residents. The majority of the confirmed cases are in the metro Detroit area, including Wayne, Macomb, and Oakland Counties.
While Berrien County has far fewer cases, the county health department and Berrien County Commission agreed that further action would be necessary to prepare for an anticipated rise in cases.
“We recommended this declaration so we can build a support organization behind us to keep up with ordering and receiving deliveries of scarce equipment, be able to bring volunteers on board when we need them, and begin to build a team that is focused on economic and community recovery,” said emergency management coordinator Rockey Adams in the released statement.
County health officials say the declaration is not a reaction to the number of cases or a reflection of how the pandemic is affecting the community. The primary goal of the state of emergency declaration is to open up public health resources to protect county residents.
