In a special session Friday, March 20, the Del Norte County Board of Supervisors formally ratified an emergency declaration in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.Also, in response to the coronavirus, the board unanimously approved a resolution declaring a local health emergency and an advanced credit sick leave program and telecommuting policy for county employees.County Administrative Officer Jay Sarina explained as the federal and state governments have already declared emergencies, the county’s resolution allows for federal and state funding to flow down to the local agency, if and when Del Norte County becomes eligible for the funds.#placement_573654_0_i{width:100%;max-width:550px;margin:0 auto;}var rnd = window.rnd || Math.floor(Math.random()*10e6);var pid573654 = window.pid573654 || rnd;var plc573654 = window.plc573654 || 0;var abkw = window.abkw || '';var absrc = 'https://ads.empowerlocal.co/adserve/;ID=181918;size=0x0;setID=573654;type=js;sw='+screen.width+';sh='+screen.height+';spr='+window.devicePixelRatio+';kw='+abkw+';pid='+pid573654+';place='+(plc573654++)+';rnd='+rnd+';click=CLICK_MACRO_PLACEHOLDER';var _absrc = absrc.split("type=js"); absrc = _absrc[0] + 'type=js;referrer=' + encodeURIComponent(document.location.href) + _absrc[1];document.write('');“I declared the local emergency seven days ago. We have to have it ratified by the board of supervisors in order for it to be effective,” Sarina said.“The number of confirmed cases continues to escalate dramatically over a short period of time and it is believed that the potential of COVID-19 cases in Del Norte County is an imminent threat and that all citizens, organizations and establishments follow orders and guidance related to COVID-19 as established by federal government, State of California and local government public health authorities,” Del Norte Public Health Officer Dr. Warren Rehwaldt’s resolution reads.As of the meeting Friday, the county had no confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to the County Public Health website. A total of 28 tests have been administered, 15 have returned negative and another 13 await results.Supervisors also unanimously approved the county’s advanced sick leave program; a move County Counsel Elizabeth Cable called a stop-gap measure for employees who don’t have sick leave accrual currently.“Obviously we don’t want sick people in the office simply because they’re worried about getting paid and being out of accrual during a time of a proclaimed local emergency,” Cable said. “They will be able to get advanced credit for up to 80 hours of sick leave and that will allow them to pay that back in the future. It will be a benefit to employees and county workers to have people out of the office with that ability.”Cable said the policy is something the county could use in future emergencies, even though it was proposed to the board in response to the COVID-19 emergency response.By email, Norma Williams, chapter president of the Del Norte Employees Association, praised both measures, telling the supervisors she met with county representatives March 17 to discuss them.“We appreciate the effort that county employees work in a safe environment. We applaud all county employees for their dedication and service to the community,” Williams said. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('ad-1515727'); });