?After 2 Years, Hillsborough's State Of Emergency Ends Thursday

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL ? After two years of living under a state of emergency due to COVID-19, Hillsborough County is ending its emergency declaration.

County Administrator Bonnie Wise said the state of emergency will not be renewed when it expires on Thursday, March 17. The state of local emergency was first issued on March 12. 2020, and has been extended every month since.

The designation gave the county administrator and emergency managers the ability to quickly take certain actions to ensure the health, safety and welfare of the community, and provided a path for federal reimbursement of certain expenses, such as the county's COVID-19 vaccination efforts.

Wise said the state of emergency is being allowed to expire due to the low COVID-19 rates in Hillsborough County.

As of March 10, the COVID-19 positivity rate in Hillsborough County was 2.9 percent.

The lower virus rate and a decrease in demand for testing and vaccinations also prompted the county to close its only remaining COVID-19 testing and vaccination site on Wednesday at 5 p.m. at the West Tampa Community Resource Center, 2103 N. Rome Ave., Tampa

Residents can still obtain these services at pharmacies and physician's offices in the county.

Wise said the county will continue to monitor COVID-19 case numbers, surges and variants in the community to determine if there is a need to reopen a testing or vaccination site.

From March 25, 2020, to March 13, Hillsborough County administered 621,986 COVID-19 tests through numerous COVID-19 testing sites and mobile sites.

From Jan. 4, 2021, to March 13, Hillsborough County, the city of Tampa and the state of Florida administered 446,487 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine through the numerous vaccination sites, Targeted Vaccine Area missions and mobile vaccination services provided to Hillsborough County residents.

From Aug. 19, 2021, to Jan. 25, the county also administered a 12,768 monoclonal antibody therapy treatments.

As of March 10, 69 percent of all eligible Hillsborough County residents have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Last month, Hillsborough County updated its COVID-19 face-covering guidelines for staff and visitors. Face coverings are no longer required at county facilities including libraries, recreation centers and the Frederick B. Karl County Center. However, they will still be available to those who request one.