Hours after state officials announced that a Bergen County man was the state’s first death from the growing coronavirus outbreak, Bergen County Executive James Tedesco declared a state of emergency for the county.

At a press conference in Hackensack Tuesday afternoon, Tedesco read an executive order which authorizes all county agencies to help local governments combat and recover from the coronavirus, which has infected 15 in the state, 7 of which are from Bergen County.

The announcement comes after the coronavirus death of a 69-year-old Little Ferry man on Tuesday morning. The man, whose name was not made public by Bergen or state authorities, died at Hackensack University Medical Center.

The Standardbred Owners Association identified the man as an employee, John Brennan.

"I hoped that we would not face this day,” Tedesco said somberly. “But today has come.”

The state of emergency declaration, which went into effect immediately, includes provisions such as ceasing all international travel on county business to countries that have been affected by the virus. It also authorizes the county to award emergency contracts such as leases for relocation.

Tedesco, flanked by county education and health officials, also announced that all Bergen County special services and technical schools will be closed all week and next week. Additionally, Bergen Community College, which is closed for spring break, will remain closed next week.

Also, visitations to the Bergen County Health Care Center, in Rockleigh, and the Bergen New Bridge Medical Center, in Paramus, are suspended until further notice, Tedesco said.

Few details were released about the Little Ferry man who died Tuesday morning. Little Ferry Mayor Mauro Raguseo made a few remarks to assure the borough of 11,000 that he would share updates when he could.

“Today is a very sad day for our community in Little Ferry,” Raguseo said. "We are going to get through this. I want the residents to know that I will share any information that I have that I can share with you as soon as possible.”

The 69-year-old patient, who had pre-existing health conditions, died Tuesday morning, state health officials said. He is one of the four new presumptive positive coronavirus cases revealed by the state Tuesday.

The man’s medical history included diabetes, hypertension, gastro-intestinal bleeding and emphysema, officials said. The man came down with a fever and cough that were treated with antibiotics and Tamiflu. When his condition didn’t improve he was admitted to Hackensack University Medical Center on March 6.

According to Hansel F. Asmar, Bergen County’s health officer, the man entered the county’s system on March 7 as a pending test. On Tuesday, March 10, the notification that the man had tested positive for the coronavirus came at the same time as the notification that he had died, Asmar said.

If you would like updates on New Jersey-specific coronavirus news, subscribe to our Coronavirus in N.J. newsletter.

Rodrigo Torrejon may be reached at rtorrejon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @rodrigotorrejon.