McHenry County Chairman Jack Franks | McHenry County
McHenry County Chairman Jack Franks | McHenry County
McHenry County, which declared a state of emergency after its first coronavirus case earlier this month, is seeing more positive cases as the pandemic continues to spread nationwide.
As of April 1, the county reported 79 total cases including two deaths, according to the Northwest Herald.
McHenry County after its first case declared a state of emergency earlier this month, according to Patch News. Jack Franks, the county board chairman, declared the county under a state of emergency then.
McHenry County is seeing more COVID-19 cases but its state of emergency declaration was made after the first suspected case earlier this month.
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That declaration means the county will request federal and state funding together with other resources to aid in the fight against the coronavirus. McHenry County Emergency Management Agency and McHenry County Department of Health will be activated during this period.
David Christensen, EMA director, and Melissa Adamson, county public health administrator, recommended the declaration to Franks, according to a government news release.
"Declaring a state of emergency is not a decision to be made lightly," said Franks when he made the declaration. "However, with a McHenry County resident now presumptively diagnosed with coronavirus, I have the responsibility to ensure that we can bring all available local, state, and federal resources to bear to blunt the impact and bring this to as quick of a conclusion as possible."
State and regional health departments will continue partnering with county health officials to monitor any possible new cases. Residents have been urged to be cautious in their daily conducts to keep the spread of the coronavirus at minimum. In case they fall ill, they should seek immediate medical attention.
To establish a means of a more personal form of public communication, McHenry Mayor Wayne Jett sent a two-minute video to residents on April 1 and indicated he will continue to upload regular video messages, the Northwest Herald reported. The messages will be available on each of the city's social media accounts.