La Plata County approved Tuesday the expenditure of nearly $4 million for expenses and reimbursements for costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

In July, La Plata County applied for coronavirus relief funds from Colorado’s Department of Local Affairs, receiving $3,951,740 that could be used toward the response to the pandemic.

On Tuesday, La Plata County commissioners unanimously approved to allocate the money to these services:

Human Services: about $300,000 for food, rent, mortgage, utilities and child care support.Economic support: about $900,000 for business grants to cover personal protective equipment expenditures. The county has partnered with Local First, which will set up a grant application process. The county hopes to allocate the money by mid-October.Public health: about $600,000 for testing, contact tracing, PPE and enforcement.La Plata County COVID-19 expenditures: about $651,740 for county mandated services, PPE, facility safety, public education and messaging, and overtime related to the pandemic.General reserve: about $1.2 million will be held in a reserve should a second wave arise and require more funding.“I’m excited we now have officially taken action to make these funds available for our community,” said Commissioner Julie Westendorff.

jromeo@durangoherald.com