XENIA — Greene County officials decided Wednesday evening to close non-essential county offices in an effort to decrease the spread of the coronavirus.

Offices are closed effective March 19.

There will be no Board of Commissioners meeting this week or next week. The town hall scheduled for Tuesday, March 31 has also been canceled.

Before the decision, the commissioners were planning to livestream regular meetings — and work sessions which usually follow — via Facebook Live on the Greene County, Ohio – Government page starting Thursday. This complies with Ohio’s Open Meetings Act, which requires all public bodies to conduct public business in open meetings that are accessible to the public.

The board’s offices at 35 Greene Street, where meetings are held weekly on Thursdays at 1 p.m., closed to the public Tuesday.

Commissioners declared a state of emergency Tuesday morning. They also passed a second resolution delegating their authority to the county administrator, Brandon Huddleson.

The emergency resolutions, Huddleson explained, better position the county to respond to COVID-19 by allowing for the securing of state and federal reimbursement funds if they become available, and for the faster procurement of supplies and services.