“Local State of Emergency and Disaster Exists” Declared

Freeport Mayor declares “Local State of Emergency And Disaster Exists”. The city announced this on Tuesday that a local state of emergency and disaster exists in Freeport, Illinois. Freeport Mayor Jodi Miller, the Mayor of the City of Freeport used the Illinois Municipal Code, 20 ILCS 3305/11 of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act, Section 226.07(i) of the Codified Ordinances of the City of Freeport, and the City’s power as a Home Rule Municipality.

The local state of emergency and disaster exists as of this date, March 24, 2020, and shall continue until March 31, 2020. The declaration can be renewed, as circumstances dictate, for additional periods of up to seven (7) days. Coronavirus is the reason for the declaration. The main points of the declaration are:

• The continued spread of the COVID-19 is the nature of the emergency. The contagious virus can cause severe respiratory illness and is sometimes fatal. There is currently no vaccine for it. An international public health emergency was declared by the World Health Organization on January 30, 2020. On March 11, 2020, the WHO declared a worldwide pandemic.

• On March 9, 2020, the Governor of the State of Illinois issued a disaster proclamation pertaining to COVID-19 and activated the State Emergency Operations Center. The Governor of the State of Illinois issued a Stay at Home Order on March 20, 2020. Stephenson County individuals have been confirmed to have contracted the COVID-19 virus. The new cases are announced on a daily basis.

• Times ahead will be tough, so it is crucial that the City be prepared to work with Federal, State and County agencies to ensure the quickest response to, and recovery from, this crisis.

“During the existence of the Local State of Emergency and Disaster, I shall execute such authority as Mayor as provided under the Illinois Municipal Code, the Illinois Emergency Management Act, and applicable sections of the Codified Ordinances of the City of Freeport.”