Though a state of emergency was declared Friday afternoon, that does not mean Daviess County or the cities of Owensboro and Whitesville are on lockdown. However bad it may sound, that is simply not what a state of emergency means.
“All it does is it allows Daviess County Fiscal Court to operate outside the normal day-to-day procedures that we have to follow,” said Judge-Executive Al Mattingly, who gave the declaration in consultation with Owensboro Mayor Tom Watson and Whitesville Mayor Patsy Mayfield.
“It doesn’t mean that you can’t drive your car. It doesn’t mean that you can’t go to the grocery. It doesn’t mean that you don’t have to go to work. It doesn’t mean that if you don’t show up at work, your employer still has to pay you.”
Instead, it allows the Mattingly and Fiscal Court to operate more swiftly when decisions need to be made regarding funding and emergency response.
For example, employees at the courthouse are now required to have their temperature taken each morning — but there were no thermometers on hand. Fiscal Court would typically have to take bids before buying them, but they can skip that step under a state of emergency.
“I’ve instructed (Emergency Management Agency Director Andy Ball) to find them,” Mattingly said. “It doesn’t matter what price he’s got to pay. He can find them, purchase them and have them available.”
Similarly, Mattingly can hire people or place a consulting contract immediately rather than going through the normal processes, or Fiscal Court could call meetings without giving the normal 24-hour notice.
Mattingly pointed to the national emergency declared by President Trump and the state of emergency declared by Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, saying they are taking the same steps to help deal with the spread of COVID-19.
“They pretty much did it for the same reasons,” Mattingly said. “They did it so they would be able to access funds that they normally could not access without going through Congress or the General Assembly.”
Though heavy restrictions have been levied against gatherings and businesses by both Trump and Beshear, those orders are separate from the emergency declarations.
Mattingly said the state of emergency will help support the professional agencies — Green River District Health Department, Owensboro Health and EMA — in all their actions as they respond to the coronavirus outbreak.
“I will not hesitate to exercise those powers when it comes to the health, safety and welfare of this community. They are the experts,” he said of those agencies. “What we’re saying with a state of emergency is we’re prepared to give them all the financial resources needed to deal with this. ”
Mattingly urged the public to continue to practice the guidelines handed down by professionals, including social distancing and proper hygiene. A state of emergency should not incite chaos.
“Continue to exercise caution,” he said. “Don’t panic. What we’re doing today will be what we did yesterday and what we will do tomorrow. The vast majority of people will see no difference tomorrow as a result of this declaration.”
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