Whatcom County officials last week created a single agency to address the new coronavirus.
A Wednesday, March 18, statement from Whatcom Unified Command: COVID-19 Joint Information Center was signed by the county executive, mayors of all county cities, tribal officials, some elected members of the Port of Bellingham and the Whatcom County Council, and other officials.
It gives Whatcom Unified Command the power to make decisions regarding pandemic response after taking recommendations from a policy group of local elected leaders.
Its goal is to streamline how local agencies react in times of crisis or natural disaster.
“As your county executive, I want to assure you that the county is working around the clock to mobilize the resources needed to address the COVID-19 outbreak,” Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu said in a video statement Wednesday.