Portland council declares limited emergency, allowing remote meetings to continue The emergency order will be in effect at City Hall until councilors rescind it. Share The Portland City Council voted 9-0 Monday night to declare a limited emergency that will allow it and other municipal boards and commissions to continue meeting remotely in a move spurred by a surge in the delta variant of COVID-19 and the tight meeting spaces at City Hall. In its emergency order, the council expressed concerns related to “less than ideal ventilation in City Hall meeting venues” as one of the factors in its decision to continue remote meetings. The order, which will be in effect until councilors rescind it, states that the majority of new infections in the United States and in Maine involve the delta variant, a highly contagious virus strain first identified in India in December.