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25 <br /> NOW, THEREFORE, we, the Orange County Board of County Commissioners, do hereby <br /> declare September 2020 as "Orange County Preparedness Month." <br /> This the 1 sc Day of September 2020. <br /> Penny Rich, Chair <br /> Orange County Board of Commissioners <br /> A motion was made by Commissioner Bedford, seconded by Commissioner Price to <br /> approve the Proclamation and authorize the Board Chair to sign it. <br /> Chair Rich asked Commissioners to accept a roll call form of voting and called names <br /> accordingly. <br /> VOTE: UNANIMOUS <br /> f. Update on COVID-19 Response and Funding Allocations <br /> The Board received an update on the County's response to the COVID-19 pandemic <br /> with a focus on the use of supplemental State and Federal funding. <br /> BACKGROUND: <br /> Since March, all County operations have been adjusted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. <br /> County employees have been asked to work from home if possible, and those employees who <br /> are reporting to a physical work location are providing services using new protocols and <br /> procedures to minimize person to person contact and avoid potential exposure to COVID-19. A <br /> summary of the current operational status for each County department is included as <br /> Attachment 1. <br /> The Health Department has guided the County's response efforts. At a policy level, the Health <br /> Department has provided recommendations on local regulations, general public health <br /> protocols, personal protective equipment, and re-opening strategies. At the clinical level, the <br /> Health Department has executed communicable disease protocols and case investigations and <br /> organized community testing events. The Department has led the County's public information <br /> and education campaign by producing daily text messages and social media content, <br /> maintaining a Countywide website and dashboard, and issuing weekly newsletters. <br /> The Emergency Services Department has coordinated emergency support functions through the <br /> Emergency Operations Center. The Emergency Operations Center (EOC) has been activated <br /> on a continuous basis since March 9, 2020. The EOC has responded to over 1,012 resource <br /> requests from municipal and community organizations and provided over 121,000 items. <br /> Emergency Services has also facilitated daily briefings for key staff members, organized a multi- <br /> jurisdictional information sharing meeting, and through the Emergency Support Functions, the <br /> Department has supported direct services related to food distribution, community testing, hotel <br /> occupancy for the homeless population, and continues to track, report, and request federal <br /> reimbursement for related expenses through the Federal Emergency Management Agency <br /> (FEMA). <br /> This update focuses on the application of supplemental State and Federal resources designed to <br /> respond to the pandemic. These allocations are included in Budget Amendment #1 which is on <br /> the consent agenda for the September 1 meeting. This report does not include direct COVID-19 <br /> related expenditures for which reimbursement is expected through the Federal Emergency <br /> Management Agency (FEMA). <br />