Mayor Michael Harakal Jr. officially declared a state of emergency for Whitehall Township March 20 in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

This comes just one day after Gov. Tom Wolf’s order that all nonlife-sustaining Pennsylvania businesses should close or operate remotely.

Generally speaking, a state of emergency does not affect the everyday lives of residents. Primarily, emergency declarations are a means for municipalities to access crucial resources and federal funds more easily.

In this case, however, Harakal is also using the declaration to make sure people thoroughly understand the severity of the situation. He described the virus as a “significant concern” and said people need to do everything they can to stop the spread.

Of course, the township will now be able to apply for federal disaster relief funding, but Harakal said that is still down the road.

The decision to declare a state of emergency was made with the support of Philip Ginder, president of the Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners. The commissioners will hold a special meeting March 27, with the sole agenda item being the passing of a resolution supporting the declaration.

Harakal said the meeting will not be open to the public, but the township is exploring options to stream the meeting over the Internet and hopefully provide a means for viewers to provide public comment.

With the governor’s statewide business closure, construction of the new public safety building will be halted, just barely after starting. Harakal said the shutdown will also make it difficult for the township to access numerous crucial municipal resources, such as macadam for road repairs.

While that does cause uncertainty in some of the township’s responsibilities, Harakal emphasized the township police and fire departments will continue to do their jobs and keep residents safe.