Amsterdam City Hall and other city-owned buildings will be closed to the public and non-essential staff starting today and extending until Tuesday, March 31 under a declaration of emergency issued by Mayor Michael Cinquanti’s office.
Also according to the release, regular common council meetings, such as the one scheduled tomorrow evening, will be closed to the public and media, but will be live-streamed from the city’s Facebook page.
The action is allowed under the recent declaration of emergency and executive orders issued by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, which suspends the open meeting law, allowing officials to “hold meetings remotely by conference call or similar service, provided that the public has the ability to view or listen to such proceedings and that such meetings are recorded and later transcribed.”
The declaration is in response to the world-wide spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, commonly known as the “coronavirus” which causes the COVID-19 disease.
According to the New York State Department of Health, there is currently one confirmed case of the virus in Montgomery County.
