Spokane County, the City of Spokane, Spokane Valley and other municipalities announced emergency declaration procedures Monday to help with the response to the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
According to a press release from Spokane County, the declarations are procedural and speed up the processes for the county and cities to quickly deploy funding and resources, seek state and federal resources and grant greater flexibility to work with existing local labor agreements
In a press conference Monday, Spokane County Commissioners, Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodward and the City of Spokane Valley signed emergency declarations. Spokane City Council approved Woodward's declaration in a vote just hours later.
Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich directed the Department of Emergency Management to establish the Emergency Operations Center at noon on Monday.