A letter from the Clark County Councilors on the COVID-19 pandemic

We understand that these are anxious and uncertain times in our community as we respond to the evolving COVID-19 Pandemic. The safety of Clark County residents and employees is our utmost concern.

What we are doing

The county is coordinating with local, state and federal jurisdictions and Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency, CRESA, in sharing information and working together on the COVID-19 response. The coordination includes elected officials, directors and mangers, and communication staff. A Joint Information Center has been established and jurisdictions are sharing information in daily phone calls. Public Health employees have been hard at work in their Incident Command and CRESA has organized a Unified Command system to help with coordination of the response.

The council approved an emergency declaration which helps us obtain the resources necessary to respond to the pandemic.

County departments have taken measures to protect employees and customers including closing front-facing counters and having employees work remotely. We have closed our public meetings to members of the public, but you can still provide public comment on the county’s website at www-dev.clark.wa.gov/councilors/public-comment.

Here’s what you can do

This is a quickly evolving situation. One of the best things all of us can do right now is stay informed and get information from credible sources. For the most updated information on COVID-19 and the county’s response, go to https://www.clark.wa.gov/covid19. The page has information about the Clark County Public Health response, prevention tips and links to other community resource information.

While it is important to have what you need in your household, please do not purchase unnecessary amounts of goods. Panic buying, or hoarding, not only isn’t helpful – it isn’t necessary.

Do what you can to support small businesses. There are still many restaurants in our community that can use our support. Check out the restaurants in your neighborhood and call in a to-go order or delivery or purchase gift certificate to use later.

Help others where you can. If you know of an at-risk neighbor or friend, reach out to see if they could use help with picking up necessities. Be kind to grocery store workers and those making deliveries who are still on the job to provide you with goods and services.

Take care of yourself. Learn what you can do to manage stress and anxiety during these uncertain times on Center of Disease Control’s website at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/managing-stress-anxiety.html.

All five of us have confidence that residents of Clark County are resilient and that we can get through this unprecedented time by staying calm and informed, following the Public Health recommendations, and being good neighbors to one another.

Thank you for being diligent. Stay safe.

Eileen Quiring, Council Chair
Temple Lentz, Councilor District 1
Julie Olson, Councilor District 2
John Blom, Councilor District 3
Gary Medvigy, Councilor District 4