Berrien County Extends Emergency Declaration

berriencountyadmin1-25
berriencountyadmin1-25

Berrien County’s disaster declaration due to COVID-19 has been extended through July 10. Berrien County Board of Commissioners Chair Mac Elliott said at a Thursday meeting the decision was made at the Berrien County Emergency Operations Center this week despite improving COVID numbers as of late.

“If Undersheriff Heit were here, he would tell you that the numbers from the dashboards for Spectrum Lakeland and for our health department are looking good,” Elliott said. “So we’re not extending the declaration for some dire news that we just received.”

Elliott said the disaster extension continues the civil immunity shield for county volunteers and first responders. It also keeps Berrien County eligible for federal response dollars. The county board’s vote to extend the declaration was unanimous.