The mayors of Bryan and College Station have declared a State of Disaster for their respective cities.

College Station Mayor Karl Money and Bryan Mayor Andrew Nelson made the declarations Tuesday afternoon, hours after the announcement of Brazos County's first confirmed COVID-19 case.

This declaration authorizes the furnishing of aid and assistance and authorizes each city to take any actions necessary to promote health and suppress the virus. This includes quarantining people and buildings, examining and regulating hospitals, regulating movement in and out of the city, establishing quarantine stations and emergency hospitals and ensuring compliance with these regulations.

The disaster declaration also recommends the size gatherings of all public and private events not be more than 10 people until further notice.

The declaration takes effect immediately and continues for seven days, but it can be renewed by each city’s respective City Council.

Each of the cities will also close their facilities starting Tuesday. The City of Bryan will close its facilities at 3:00 p.m., with the exception of the Municipal Office Building (MOB) and BTU. BTU’s offices will close at 5:00 p.m. today. The MOB will close after tonight’s Bryan City Council meeting.

All branches of the Bryan/College Station Public Library System also will close at 3:00 p.m. today.

This protocol will continue through Mar. 31, then be reevaluated.