WALLA WALLA–The Walla Walla County Board of Commissioners have signed a Declaration of Emergency related to the Novel Corona 2019 Virus (COVID-19) worldwide pandemic. This declaration authorizes county departments to enter into contracts with Board of County Commissioner approval and incur obligations necessary during the outbreak in order to protect the health and safety of persons and property and provide emergency assistance to the victims of the disaster.

Due to the extreme emergency, and being mindful of the CDC recommending social distancing, all county employee travel to locations outside of Walla Walla County will cease until further notice. In addition, the commissioners have asked that all meetings conducted by the county use the latest technology to be convened in a virtual environment.

The Walla Walla County Department of Community Health continues it operations of a COVID-19 dedicated line at 509-524-2647 to answer questions between the hours of 8 AM and 5 PM, Monday through Friday. Information about COVID-19 is also available on their website at: https://bit.ly/3aRJCul

Residents are encouraged to follow the CDC recommended steps to prevent illness: https://bit.ly/3cW6TNC.

The County confirmed that a Umatilla County, Oregon, patient was hospitalized in Walla Walla County with a presumptive positive case on February 29, 2020, and the Walla Walla County Department of Community Health, after further testing, was able to confirm a COVID-19 diagnosis, in coordination with the Washington State Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

There have been no positive diagnoses in Walla Walla County, according to Liz Jessee, Emergency Management Director for Walla Walla County.