Office of Emergency Management activated

Kootenai County opened the door for state and federal assistance and Post Falls School District announced all schools will be closed Monday and Tuesday to continue deep cleaning that began during the weekend.

Both announcements were made Sunday.

Here’s the press release from Kootenai County Sheriff Ben Wolfinger:

In light of the recent COVID-19 events and to make sure we as a community are prepared as this event continues to evolve, and to receive any possible federal and state assistance, Kootenai County Commissioners Chairman Chris Fillios signed a Declaration of Emergency for Kootenai County. This declaration allows the Office of Emergency Management to be activated and brings in additional resources to help the citizens of Kootenai County.

Panhandle Health is the primary agency for this even and questions or concerns should be directed to them at 1-877-415-5225. The Emergency Operations Center (EOC) has been activated to assist Panhandle Health and the citizens within Kootenai County who may be directly impacted by this event.

With the activation of the Office of Emergency Management, we will be able to partner with other agencies to include: other law enforcement agencies within the county, fire and EMS services, Kootenai Health, Panhandle Health, other elected officials and the Board of County Commissioners to provide assistance to the citizens and send out one clear message to the public.

The Sheriff’s Office and OEM would like to stress there is no reason to panic. The activation and declaration is to provide the county the ability to request assistance and funding to bring all agencies involved together to provide one clear message to citizens. We would also like to stress that don’t believe everything you have seen and heard on social media. There is no indication that the county is going to be quarantined or the borders between the states are going to be closed.

We would encourage those that have not signed up for Alert Kootenai, to do so. You can sign up for Alert Kootenai via the Kootenai County Sheriff’s website at www.kcsheriff.com. This will provide you with an avenue to receive information about not only this event, any future events, or incidents that may happen.

Sheriff Ben Wolfinger.

By: Lt. Ryan Higgins

And here’s a press release from Post Falls school superintendent Jerry Keane:

After participating in a conference call with the Governor and state health care officials this afternoon, all schools in the Post Falls School District will be closed Monday and Tuesday to complete the deep cleaning that began this weekend. All activities are canceled, and GAP will be closed. This decision was made in consultation and support from Panhandle Health District.

The current guidance from the Governor’s office, the CDC and the Department of Health and Welfare is that schools do not have long-term closures at this time. During the phone call with the Governor’s office, school districts were encouraged to make informed, science-based decisions while recognizing each community’s unique circumstances.

Post Falls School District’s response to this situation is fluid, and we will adjust our plan as information becomes available.