Grays Harbor County Sheriff Rick Scott has activated the county’s emergency operations center (EOC) and is forming a policy group tasked with creating and enacting policy related to the COVID-19 outbreak.

“This morning I met with Karolyn (Holden, director of Grays Harbor County Public Health), Chief (Leonard) Johnson of Fire District 2, Aberdeen Fire Chief Tom Hubbard, and the Undersheriff (Brad Johansson) to activate the county EOC,” said Scott at a county commissioners meeting Monday morning. “We’re going to activate that resource in support of what Karolyn’s got going on to take some of the pressure off what she has to do so she can focus on the health department’s needs and be the administrator of that function.”

By statute, the director of Grays Harbor Emergency Management, Scott, puts together a team of experienced and qualified emergency responders, health officials and others “with experience in mass disasters” to create and implement policy related to the COVID-19 outbreak.

“One of the big parts of activating the EOC in a state of emergency and under the declaration of emergency already filed is to form a policy group that will consist of key players that will then have the authority to make policy relative to this situation and then implement those policies without having need of gathering like we are here today in a big public meeting to get every little question answered,” said Scott.

Scott said the group should include Commission President Randy Ross “to report back to the board, but also to assist in any decision that may have dollar signs attached,” said Scott.

“Then we’re identifying others who need to be on the board,” said Scott. “I just don’t want it so big we don’t get anything done, but it’s important to have the right people there.”

Scott added, “This is a moving target and a million moving pieces and we really need to make decisions in a timely fashion.”

Scott asked the commissioners to officially recognize that the policy group “is a necessary function and to acknowledge the authority of the group to make and implement policy as this thing changes.”

The board unanimously agreed.