Westchester Declares State Of Emergency Due To Coronavirus

WHITE PLAINS, NY — Westchester County declared a state of emergency for the county Monday. Standing outside the Michaelian Office Building, County Executive George Latimer said the action would allow the county to take more expedient measures in response to the new coronavirus outbreak currently facing the entire nation.

"Our society faces a challenge ahead of us that can only be compared to what was faced when wartime provisions were enacted in our nation," he said. "Like then, we will overcome this. It may not be overnight — but it will be together."

Latimer said the county has to ensure it's doing all it can do to protect everyone who lives in Westchester County.

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He also ordered all public and private schools in the county to close to all students and staff, with some exceptions for administrative, instructional, professional and classified functions as determined by each school or school district.

School closings will take effect Wednesday and would last for at least two weeks.

Many districts in the county had already decided to close. New Rochelle's school district decided to shutter all schools until March 25 after initially closing three schools that were in the state-mandated containment area in the northern portion of the city.

In the Hudson Valley, the state health department said as of Monday that Westchester had 220 cases of COVID-19, Rockland with 18, Orange with 11, Dutchess with 10, Ulster with seven and Putnam with two.

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