McHenry County declares state of emergency

McHenry County Board Chairman Jack Franks has declared a state of emergency for the county in response to its first COVID-19 case, officials said in a news release Wednesday.

The declaration activates the emergency operations plans of the McHenry County Department of Health and the McHenry County Emergency Management Agency, and requests state and federal funding and resources to combat a potential outbreak. Franks made the declaration upon the joint recommendation of county Public Health Administrator Melissa Adamson and EMA Director David Christensen.

"This declaration should not be taken as a cause for panic or alarm, and I echo Governor JB Pritzker's call for level-headedness and calm while staying abreast of new developments and taking common-sense precautions," Franks said in the release

Pritzker issued a disaster proclamation Monday for Illinois to help free up federal funds to assist with the ongoing coronavirus response statewide. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle also issued a disaster proclamation for the county.

State officials on Tuesday announced a McHenry County man in his late teens, and a Kane County woman in her 60s, had tested positive for coronavirus, or COVID-19. They were the first cases in Illinois outside of Cook County.