TITLE
Recommendation to adopt resolution to ratify the City Manager's Proclamation of Local Emergency and ratify the Long Beach Health Officer's Declaration of Local Health Emergency regarding the serious and imminent threat of an outbreak of novel coronavirus (COVID-19). (Citywide)
DISCUSSION
A novel coronavirus (COVID-19) was first detected in Wuhan City, Hubei Province in China in December 2019. On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a public health emergency of international concern. On January 31, 2020, United States Health and Human Services Secretary Alex M. Azar II declared the COVID-19 global outbreak a public health emergency for the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on February 26, 2020, that community spread of COVID-19 is likely to occur in the United States.
On March 4, 2020, the City Public Health Officer issued a Declaration of Local Health Emergency (Declaration) (Attachment A) and the Acting City Manager issued a Proclamation of Local Emergency (Proclamation) (Attachment B). Both the Declaration and Proclamation were issued in response to the international COVID-19 outbreak and the ongoing risk and potential for widespread community transmission of COVID-19 occurring among the general public in the United States, and the imminent and proximate threat of introduction of COVID- 19 in the City of Long Beach.
While the current, local situation remains stable and there are currently no cases of COVID-19 in Long Beach, today's recommended actions will provide the City additional powers to coordinate local efforts and identify resources that may be necessary to fully address the response, in the event that the situation evolves.
What is known at this time is that the virus is spread between people primarily via respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Symptoms of the virus include fever, cough, and shortness of breath, and infected individuals ...
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