Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Governor: Coronavirus Changing 'By the Hour' in California
gvw_calmatters
By CalMatters
Published 4 years ago on
February 27, 2020

Share

As the number of cases and urgency around the coronavirus increases, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday that California is on high alert and working closely with the federal government on the return of Americans from overseas.
But in a state that has more people in quarantine than any other, many questions remain unanswered. Plans on where to house infected patients are not clear, local governments are declaring emergencies and at least one lawmaker said he’s getting “radio silence” from the governor’s administration.

Ana B. Ibarra
CalMatters

“This changes quite literally by the hour,” Newsom said Wednesday. “As of last count, 31 people have been identified as having the coronavirus in the state of California and have gone through the repatriation process and are in various states of health.”
Newsom’s comment illustrated the uncertainty and rapid change around the issue.
His updated number differs from that currently being reported by the state’s public health department, which is publicly reporting only 10 cases in the state. Soon after his comment, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also confirmed a new California case that is the first example of coronavirus transmitted from person to person in the general public and not related to travel.
That person is a resident of Solano County, where hundreds of people have been quarantined over the last few weeks. The patient is receiving medical care in Sacramento County, the state’s public health department said.
“There’s no other state in America that has been more involved in addressing the issue,” Newsom said.
Hundreds of Americans being repatriated from Wuhan, China, where the virus was first identified, and from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, a ship that was quarantined in Japan after people tested positive for Coronavirus, were placed under mandatory quarantine, many of them in California.

The Reaction of Communities Echoes the Growing Concern

Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed 60 cases as of late Wednesday. This total seems to only take into account the 10 cases being reported by the state.
In early February, 234 people were evacuated from China and sent to Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield. Those people have completed their 14 day quarantine. Later, about 300 people who were evacuated from the cruise ship arrived at the same base, although some of those people were transferred to another military base in Texas. Of those passengers from the cruise ship, 14 were infected.
As concern grows, California communities are increasingly declaring local health emergencies.
On Wednesday, Orange County declared a local health emergency, following on San Francisco’s footsteps. San Diego and Santa Clara counties also have issued similar emergency declarations. This allows communities to roll out an accelerated emergency preparedness plan.
“Although there are still zero confirmed cases in San Francisco residents, the global picture is changing rapidly, and we need to step-up preparedness,” San Francisco Mayor London Breed said in a statement.
The reaction of communities echoes the growing concern by federal health officials who say further spread of the virus in the U.S. is expected. Earlier this week, officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told reporters that spread of the virus was a matter of time. In a press conference with President Donald Trump on Wednesday, however, Dr. Anne Schuchat, the principal deputy director at CDC, said, “The trajectory of what we’re looking at over the weeks and months ahead is very uncertain.”
But perhaps an even more time-sensitive concern is where to place patients who are under quarantine in the state and test positive for the virus.
People at Travis Air Force Base in Solano County, who test positive for the virus can’t stay at the base because there is no place for them to be properly isolated. Instead they are being sent to hospitals in Northern California counties, including Napa, Contra Costa and Sonoma, even if they’re not showing symptoms. There, they are placed in isolation in specialized rooms until they are cleared from infection.
The current setup could place a burden on local hospitals, said California Health and Human Services Secretary Mark Ghaly and the Director of the state’s Office of Emergency Services Mark Ghilarducci in a letter sent Tuesday to Alex Azar, the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary.

The Urgency to Have Alternative Plans Implemented Grows

In the letter Ghaly and Ghilarducci said they are committed to finding a location to place California residents, but want the federal government to come up with a plan for non-California residents. About 70 of a reported 156 people at Travis Air Force Base are California residents.
Federal officials were considering a facility in Anniston, Alabama to house infected patients, but after the Republican governor and others protested, President Donald Trump assured them that Alabama would not receive any of these patients, raising questions about political favoritism.

Federal officials were considering a facility in Anniston, Alabama to house infected patients, but after the Republican governor and others protested, President Donald Trump assured them that Alabama would not receive any of these patients, raising questions about political favoritism. 
“With the Anniston, Alabama site being placed on hold, we do have significant concerns that there is no alternative plan from the federal government,” the California letter said.
“We request that your team immediately provide us with information relative to any alternative plans for non-California residents. As more individuals test positive at Travis Air Force Base, the urgency to have alternative plans implemented grows,” the letter says.
Last Friday, California planned to move state residents who tested positive for the virus to the Fairview Developmental Center in Costa Mesa, an empty state-owned facility. City officials blocked the move with a restraining order from a federal judge and a decision that is still pending.
State Sen. John Moorlach, a Republican who represents Costa Mesa, on Wednesday sent a letter to Newsom seeking answers.
“Without having been consulted until after your Administration recommended (Fairview Developmental Center) to the federal government, I have been working hard to provide answers,” Moorlach wrote in his letter.
Moorlach said that last Thursday he got a call notifying him that 16 patients would be transferred to the Costa Mesa facility. “And after that, it’s been radio silence,” Moorlach told CalMatters.
“We’re not trying to be obstructionists, we’re looking for answers,” he said.
CalMatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Caitlin Clark and Iowa Draw Nearly 5 Million Viewers for Second-Round NCAA Win

DON'T MISS

Canadian School Boards Sue Snapchat, TikTok and Meta for Disrupting Students’ Education

DON'T MISS

California Law Enforcement Agencies Obstruct Transparency Efforts in Use-of-Force Cases

DON'T MISS

No Police Charges for Taylor Swift’s Dad Over Paparazzi Incident in Sydney

DON'T MISS

Biden Administration to Lend $1.5B to Restart Michigan Nuclear Power Plant, a First in the US

DON'T MISS

Tonight’s Biden Fundraiser With Obama and Clinton Already Nets a Record $25 Million

DON'T MISS

Former Sen. Joe Lieberman, Democrats’ VP Pick in 2000, Dead at 82

DON'T MISS

Trump Criticizes Judge and His Daughter After Gag Order in Hush-Money Case

DON'T MISS

CA Insurance Market ‘in Chaos,’ Says Former Insurance Commissioner. Can Lara Fix It?

DON'T MISS

Police Had About 90 Seconds to Stop Traffic Before Baltimore Bridge Fell. 6 Workers Are Feared Dead

No data was found

Facebook News Tab Will Soon Be Unavailable as Meta Scales Back News and Political Content

15 hours ago

Stock Market Today: Wall Street Rises to More Records to Close Out Its Latest Winning Month

15 hours ago

A Fresno County First: Kerman Council Passes Amended Gaza Cease-Fire Resolution

15 hours ago

UN Top Court Orders Israel to Open More Land Crossings for Aid into Gaza

15 hours ago

How Involved Is Southern California Consulting Firm in FUSD Executive Dealings?

15 hours ago

Biden’s Fundraiser with Obama and Clinton Nets a Record $25 Million, His Campaign Says

16 hours ago

Fresno Unified’s Self-Protection Racket Is Hurting Our Kids

16 hours ago

Rockin’ Out or Laughing, the Valley Has Its Pick of Weekend Events

17 hours ago

Ex-Correctional Officer at Women’s Prison in California Sentenced for Sexually Abusing Inmates

19 hours ago

Caitlin Clark and Iowa Draw Nearly 5 Million Viewers for Second-Round NCAA Win

19 hours ago

PGA HOPE at Riverside Golf Course Introduces Military Veterans to the Game

PGA HOPE, now underway at Fresno’s Riverside Golf Course, is designed to introduce golf to veterans and active duty military members t...

13 hours ago

PGA HOPE at Fresno's Riverside Golf Course
13 hours ago

PGA HOPE at Riverside Golf Course Introduces Military Veterans to the Game

14 hours ago

Cronenworth’s Big Hit Helps Lift the Padres to a 6-4 Win Over Melvin’s Giants

14 hours ago

Shohei Ohtani Reaches 3 Times in Home Debut as the Dodgers Rout the Cardinals 7-1

15 hours ago

Facebook News Tab Will Soon Be Unavailable as Meta Scales Back News and Political Content

15 hours ago

Stock Market Today: Wall Street Rises to More Records to Close Out Its Latest Winning Month

15 hours ago

A Fresno County First: Kerman Council Passes Amended Gaza Cease-Fire Resolution

15 hours ago

UN Top Court Orders Israel to Open More Land Crossings for Aid into Gaza

15 hours ago

How Involved Is Southern California Consulting Firm in FUSD Executive Dealings?

MENU

CONNECT WITH US

Search

Send this to a friend