Mayor John Suthers has declared a state of emergency for the city of Colorado Springs in response to the ongoing coronavirus.

The mayor released the following statement late Monday morning:

“I declared a local State of Emergency because it gives the city its best ability to respond to the COVID-19 virus. The declaration does two things; first, it makes the city eligible for federal relief funding as it becomes available; second, it provides authority for mayoral regulations that can be put into place rapidly to address the situation as needed. This should not be cause for further alarm, but a signal that our city continues to monitor the situation and respond in a prudent, efficient and effective manner in constant coordination with our partners at El Paso County Health and El Paso County."

“We just want to make sure there is no question that we qualify for funding that may come through the Fed or state," Mayor Suthers told 11 News. "For the most part that only requires the state to declare an emergency but to be extra certain, we did that.”