The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved more than $13.3 million in additional public assistance funding for the COVID-19 response in Utah. The assistance was made available under a major disaster declaration issued April 4, 2020. FEMA has now provided a total of $92.6 million for the Utah COVID-19 response to date.
The $13.3 million was received by the Utah Department of Health’s COVID-19 response effort for associated costs, contracts and facilities. That includes $3.7 million for testing services performed throughout the state. That work was completed between April 17 and Sept. 30 of last year. Also included is $3 million for leasing facilities to be used as long-term care facilities between Oct. 1, 2020, and Jan 31, 2021.
The FEMA money also reimbursed $6.4 million to purchase decontamination supplies, personal protective equipment, medical equipment and supplies between Aug. 9, 2020, and Feb. 8, 2021.
This funding was authorized under the Jan. 21 Presidential Memorandum for the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland Security and Section 403 of the Robert T. Stafford Act, FEMA said.
For the COVID-19 response, FEMA has simplified the public assistance application and funding process to address the magnitude of the event and to allow local officials to receive eligible funding more quickly. “These reimbursements play a critical role as state, local and tribal officials work tirelessly to assist their communities during this response,” said a FEMA release.
