ST. JOSEPH, Mich. — Berrien County is officially in a local state of emergency due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The county's board of commissioners made the declaration today, based on the recommendation its emergency management coordinator and public health officer, according to the county today.
Under the declaration, the Berrien County Emergency Operations Center will continue to operate and support the health department and Spectrum Health Lakeland and "add to the response resources already committed to dealing with this pandemic response."
Berrien County has 11 positive cases of the coronavirus, and it is seeing "an increase in community spread."
The county said it will "make available all county and local resources to deal with this ongoing health crisis."
“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 Captain Rockey Adams, emergency management coordinator, Berrien County.
Watch the county's news conference