Wilkes-Barre city council will hold a special meeting Friday in the parking lot of City Hall to vote on extending the state of emergency declared by Mayor George Brown earlier this week in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Brown, second from left, Monday met briefly with city council members following his announcement on the emergency declaration. Jerry Lynott file photo | Times Leader
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WILKES-BARRE — City council has scheduled a special meeting outdoors Friday to vote on extending the state of emergency declared by Mayor George Brown earlier this week in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The City Charter authorized the mayor to issue an executive order declaring a state of emergency for five days as he did Monday. Any extension required council’s approval.
“It is for 30 days or until the mayor rescinds it,” Council Chairman Bill Barrett Wednesday said of how long it will last.
The public meeting will be held at 11 a.m. in the City Hall parking lot at the rear of 40 E. Market St. in order to comply with directives aimed at limiting the spread of the novel coronavirus or COVID-19.
Brown closed City Hall and other city buildings to the public Monday when he declared the state of emergency that gave him the power to take the steps necessary to deal with the pandemic that has spread to Luzerne County where there was one confirmed case of COVID-19 on Sunday.
“This will allow me to access physical and financial needs with the state and federal officials and allow me to immediately respond to the ever changing situation,” Brown said when announcing the state of emergency.
The extension is the only item on the agenda and Barrett said he expected the meeting to be brief. In the event of inclement weather a small tent will be set up, he said.
A public notice of the special meeting was published in the classified ad section of the Times Leader on Wednesday.
Reach Jerry Lynott at 570-991-6120 or on Twitter @TLJerryLynott.
