Tri-county governments are issuing a disaster declaration closing all city and county buildings to the public.
It's the latest move to slow the spread of COVID-19. There are now four confirmed cases in the Peoria area. Eleven people have tested negative and 21 tests are still pending.
Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis said the disaster declaration, which takes effect March 18, will allow local governments to assist in the reimbursement of the costs of fighting the novel coronavirus.
"It allows our organizations to assess how we provide services during this time and make changes as necessary," Ardis said. "It's really just a mechanism to really flip the switch and help us start the accounting process."
City manager Patrick Urich said for now, staff will still report to work daily.
"We're hoping that we can continue to provide services via phone, via email, making sure that those online services that we have are taken care of, and then we'll continue to watch out," he said. "The care of our employees is very important to us. We want to make sure that we're doing it safely, as well."
Tazewell and Woodford counties are also issuing disaster declarations at the same time.
Peoria's declaration is in effect until at least March 24, when it will be reconsidered by city council.
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