The Kitsap County Board of Commissioners affirmed an emergency proclamation on Monday which will authorize the Department of Emergency Management to suspend certain regulations on purchasing or issuing contracts in order to obtain essential supplies and services needed for first responders and medical professionals.

The proclamation was initially made by Elizabeth Klute, director for the Kitsap County Department of Emergency Management on Sunday, March 8.

“Getting in front of this emergency and supporting our responders is essential,” Klute said in a statement issued Monday afternoon.

“In coordination with our Department of Emergency Management and the Kitsap Public Health District, this proclamation allows us to further assess and prepare for this potentially significant health emergency,” said Commissioner Charlotte Garrido, chair of the board of commissioners. “The proclamation is an important tool for our ongoing support of the citizens, agencies, public health partners, and first responders managing the current outbreak.”

To date, Washington has seen a total of 162 confirmed cases, with 21 of these cases proving fatal. The highest concentration of confirmed cases has been seen in King County and Snohomish County where there have been 116 and 37 confirmed cases respectively. Of these cases, King County has seen 20 fatalities and Snohomish County has seen one.

Kitsap County reported its first positive case of COVID-19 Sunday evening. The individual tested was described as a Bainbridge Island resident in their 60s. Initially KPHD referred to the case as a “presumptive positive” pending testing from the state public health laboratory, it has since discontinued this practice.