The city of Shafter discussed their emergency order Tuesday night unanimously approving to extend it to follow along with the governor's orders. 23ABC's Kylie Walker attended the meeting and explained what it meant for the city of Shafter.
The Shafter City Council addressed the local emergency order at its Tuesday meeting. The emergency order which was initially put in place on March 17th was extended until further notice.
"The resolution provides that it's until the governor terminates the order or until the city council, whichever is sooner. However we must come back every 60 days to keep affirming it," explained City Attorney Marco Martinez.
City officials saying it's important for them to extend the declaration so that the city can continue to activate elements of its emergency response system.
The declaration would also make the city eligible for any FEMA reimbursements that City Manager Gabriel Gonzales said they have been tracking. "To allow the city's director of emergency services to propagate rules with very little notice without having to call a special meeting with the city council and we've done it here in Shafter where we've had to act very quickly on some items."
The zip code in Shafter has had 29 total confirmed cases of COVID-19 and so far 23 have recovered. The city says it will continue to follow the governor's direction about reopening the city.
