title
Resolution providing for further renewal by the Council of the City of Pittsburgh of a Declaration of Disaster Emergency, ratified by Council on March 17th, 2020; to extend the effectiveness of the Declaration for thirty-five (35) additional days thereby making the Declaration effective until August 3rd, 2021; in response to the ongoing public health emergency associated with the spread of coronavirus.
body
WHEREAS, the Mayor of the City of Pittsburgh issued a Declaration of Emergency (“Declaration”) in response to the existing public health emergency associated with the spread of a novel coronavirus (now known as COVID-19) on March 13th, 2020; and
WHEREAS, the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) have declared COVID-19 a “public health emergency of international concern” and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) Secretary has declared the COVID-19 creates a public health emergency; and,
WHEREAS, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (“Commonwealth”) has been working in collaboration with the CDC, HHS, and local health agencies since December 2019 to monitor and plan for the continued containment and subsequent mitigation of COVID-19; and,
WHEREAS, it is clear that while some state and federal restrictions continue to be rescinded, there are still massive health and safety concerns surrounding removing all protective measures the city has had in place over this pandemic; and,
WHEREAS, while the city has seen an increase in vaccination rates in adults, Allegheny County is underneath the state recommended benchmark of 70% of the adult population getting at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to certify the slow of the spread of possible COVID-19 infection; and,
WHEREAS, there are continued concerns on the swift emergence of COVID-19 variants that are more contagious than the original strand and could become the dominant strain in the United States for which our medical systems would be overwhelmed by; and,
WHEREAS, critical protections for vulnerable residents are tied the existence of the emergency declaration, and the city needs to ensure that the proper programs and safety nets are in place, to prevent additional unintended harm and increased spread; and,
WHEREAS, the City of Pittsburgh’s eviction moratorium is tied to the existence of the local emergency declaration and the continued health and safety of the residents of Pittsburgh is of paramount concern to the Mayor, especially considering epidemiologist studies that show that even a 1% increase in evictions could result in up to 10% higher incidences of COVID-19 infections; and,
WHEREAS, the worldwide outbreak of COVID-19 continues to threaten the health and well-being of residents and it is imperative that we remain steadfast in upholding these protections for our citizens; and,
WHEREAS, the Council of the City of Pittsburgh ratified the Declaration on March 17th, 2020 and renewed the Declaration to remain in effect until April 10th, May 5th, May 12th, May 19th, May 26th, June 2nd, June 9th, June 16th, June 23rd, June 30th, July 7th, August 25th, September 8th, October 6th, November 10th, and December 10th, 2020, January 12th, 2021, February 16th, 2021, March 16th, 2021, April 13th, 2021, May 11th, 2021, June 8th, 2021, and June 29th, 2021 and via Resolutions 140, 139, 162, 214, 217, 225, 249, 261, 271, 281, 310, 319, 433, 456, 514, 581, and 631 of 2020 and 9, 123, 193, 255, 296, and 379 of 2021, respectively; and
WHEREAS, the Mayor of the City Pittsburgh believes that the Declaration of Emergency should be extended for a period not-to-exceed thirty-five (35) days from the date of potential expiration, subject to further renewal of the Council of the City of Pittsburgh at such time, in order to provide the City of Pittsburgh with the appropriate means to address the existing public health emergency associated with the spread of COVID-19; and
WHEREAS, as a result, the Council of the City of Pittsburgh wishes to renew the Mayor’s Declaration of Emergency for a period not-to-exceed thirty-five (35) days.
Be it resolved by the Council of the City of Pittsburgh as follows:
Section 1. The Declaration of Emergency, ratified by the Council of the City of Pittsburgh on March 17th, 2020, attached hereto and incorporated herein as Exhibit A, is hereby extended and renewed by the Council of the City of Pittsburgh for a period of thirty-five (35) days from June 29th, 2021- August 3rd, 2021, unless terminated earlier, in accordance with all applicable law including City of Pittsburgh Code §113.03 and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Services Code at 35 Pa. C.S. § 7501.