DOVER — Like Bonner County and many neighboring cities, Dover declared a local state of emergency Wednesday due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The declaration mainly opens up the city’s spending authority and eases other requirements so Dover officials can respond quickly to the COVID-19 pandemic. It also allows for the city to be reimbursed for expenses it incurs because of the pandemic.

Declarations of emergency are common tools employed by cities, counties and states in response to anticipated needs related to disasters or emergencies.

Dover Mayor Michael Davis issued the declaration Wednesday in the midst of continued response efforts to help the community as it deals with the effects of closures, quarantines and other impacts related to the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Adoption of the declaration of local emergency also would help limit the city’s liability if something were to happen and eliminates the need for competitive bidding if the city does need to make any purchases related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The declaration was set for seven days and will expire after that time unless the Dover City Council authorizes a continuation of the declaration.

Dover City Hall is closed to the public and due to Gov. Brad Little’s Stay Home Order, office hours are limited through the end of the month.

Questions for the city clerk can be sent cityclerk@cityofdoveridaho.org or via the phone at 208-265-8339. Those with water or sewer emergencies are asked to call the city’s Water Systems Management office at 208-265-4270.

“The drop slot to the left of the glass entry doors at City Hall will be monitored regularly and available for you to drop payments or other paperwork,” city Clerk Michele Hutchings said in an email.

Panhandle Health District officials have announced the total number of cases of COVID-19 now sits at 37 in the Panhandle area. Thirty-six of the cases are in Kootenai County and one in Bonner County. Details on new cases will be posted on the PHD website page in real time: www.panhandlehealthdistrict.org/covid-19/.

PHD will make a daily announcement if there are confirmed cases within the Panhandle at noon, 7 days a week. The Panhandle area includes the five northern counties — Kootenai, Shoshone, Benewah, Bonner, and Boundary.

In the United States, there have been more than 215,200 cases with more than 5,110 deaths.

Pend Oreille County has opened a call center to help handle the needs of Pend Oreille County residents with questions and concerns surrounding COVID-19.

These are stressful times and the Call Center is being established to centralize and make information accessible to Pend Oreille County residents, county officials said in a press release.

“At this time no confirmed cases have been identified in Pend Oreille County, but we realize citizens may still have questions,” JoAnn Boggs, Pend Oreille County Emergency Management Deputy Director, said. “If any COVID-19 cases are confirmed in Pend Oreille County, please do not call the call center trying to find out who the individuals are, where they are located or any information concerning their individual cases; we do not have that information available for distribution”

The call center is an effort to centralize information for the public concerning: what county offices are open, where there is testing, where resources and assistance can be found, officials said.

The call center number is 509 447-1988 and is open from 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Monday through Friday. Questions can be emailed to EOC@pendoreille.org. This call center is not a replace of the county’s dispatch center and is not for emergencies, Boggs said. All emergencies should still be directed to 911.

“The purpose of the Call Center is to have timely, accurate information available to the public,” she said, adding it is an excellent time for the county’s residents to sign up to receive emergency notifications. To register or to learn more, go online to nixle.com or text your ZIP code to 888777.

Caroline Lobsinger can be reached by email at clobsinger@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @CarolDailyBee.