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HomeNewsClarksville Mayor Joe Pitts to declare State of Local Emergency, Wednesday

Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts to declare State of Local Emergency, Wednesday

Clarksville City Council to consider Resolution at Special Meeting

City of ClarksvilleClarksville, TN – Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts will declare a state of local emergency in the City of Clarksville on Wednesday, March 18th, 2020 to facilitate an effective local response to the worldwide coronavirus outbreak and prevent the spread of COVID-19.

City of Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts
City of Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts

The executive order, which will be considered by the Clarksville City Council at a special called meeting at 3:00pm Wednesday, March 18th, will take effect upon passage of the resolution.

It will continue for seven days, and can be extended as necessary in seven-day increments until April 2nd.

The order will direct all City departments and offices to minimize person-to-person contact “to the maximum extent possible” by using drive-through window service, and electronic, telephonic and mail methods of communication.

The order will close all Clarksville Parks and Recreation activities, programs and facilities to include swimming pools and recreation centers. Parks will remain open. It also authorizes Department heads to direct certain City employees to work from home.

The declaration also includes a City COVID-19 Response Plan that addresses internal engineering, administrative and work practice controls, and personal protective equipment necessary to reduce the impact of COVID-19 on the City’s employees.

COVID-19 is a respiratory disease caused by the fast-spreading novel coronavirus. The World Health Organization declared the disease outbreak a pandemic on March 11th. While no cases of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) have been reported in Clarksville or Montgomery County, at least 73 have been reported in Tennessee since the first case was identified in the state March 4th.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee proclaimed a state emergency for Tennessee on March 12th.

“This order will allow us to take legal steps to prepare the City of Clarksville, its employees and our citizens for a potentially long struggle against this viral outbreak,” Clarksville Mayor Pitts said. “This will provide us some more flexibility to take proactive steps to protect the health and safety of our residents and employees.”

All members of the public and businesses are strongly encouraged to follow and comply with guidance and directives issued by the federal Centers for Disease Control and state and local departments of health. The CDC has updated information and guidance available online here. The Tennessee Department of Health has additional information available here.

“All members of the public are strongly encouraged to remain calm, to resist panic purchasing, and to look after and help those most at risk to this pandemic to include the elderly and those with suppressed immune systems,” Mayor Pitts said.

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