SANTA CRUZ—The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday declared a local emergency in response to the increasing numbers of coronavirus cases.
The board also ratified a Mar. 4 declaration by Santa Cruz County Health Officer Dr. Gail Newel of a local health emergency.
Health Services Agency (HSA) Director Mimi Hall told the supervisors the worldwide spread of Coronavirus is likely to become a pandemic.
“As we all know this is a global matter,” Hall said. “In a very short amount of time, from the end of December until today, in a matter of weeks, we have gone from the emergence of a new disease to what we have now, which is over 110,000 cases confirmed around the globe.”
There are 114 cases in California, Hall said, and two people have died.
Santa Cruz County has two cases, the first announced on March 7 and the second on Monday.
Hall said the HSA has been working “on overdrive” for several weeks to plan for the arrival of the virus, and is now in response mode as workers screen hundreds of calls from anxious residents.
The declaration allows the HSA to bring in other county employees to help with the response to the virus, and also allows the county to receive a piece of the $42 million in federal funding set aside for California to deal with the outbreak, Hall said.
“By declaring an emergency we make a transparent statement to the community about the seriousness of this,” she said. “It also allows us to deploy resources that we might not normally have access to.”
The HSA on Monday released a set of “social distancing” guidelines created to help slow the spread of the virus by reducing everyone spends in face-to-face interactions.
These include canceling large meetings and gatherings, and working from home when possible.
“We are asking the entire community to comply,” Hall said. “It is very, very important that people heed these guidelines as best as they can in their homes, their neighborhoods, their faith communities and their workplace.”
Hall says that the virus will likely be mild for a majority of the population. But she stressed that vulnerable populations, such as people 60 and older and people with pre-existing medical conditions, could be hit especially hard if they contract the virus.
There is no cure and no vaccine, she said.
“We’re trying to protect those of us who are probably going to get very sick, or maybe even pass away if they are affected,” she said. “That’s the key goal; think about your community.”
Symptoms include fever, cough, and shortness of breath, and may appear in as few as two, or up to 14, days after exposure.
Hall said that people who are otherwise healthy – and who are showing those symptoms – should not go to a health care provider, lest they overwhelm those resources. Instead, they should call first for guidance.
Meanwhile, officials at UC Santa Cruz announced Tuesday that nearly all its in-person classes have been canceled through April 3, with the exception of labs and art classes. Lectures will be offered through other electronic methods.
Classes are continuing as normal at Cabrillo College, spokeswoman Kristin Fabos said.
In Santa Clara County, the Public Health Department announced a mandatory order to cancel mass gatherings countywide, starting Mar. 11 and lasting three weeks.
The measure was implemented to reduce the number of people who become sick, and keep the healthcare system from becoming overwhelmed, said Santa Clara County Health Officer Sara Cody.
“This is a critical moment in the growing outbreak of COVID-19 in Santa Clara County,” she said. “The strong measures we are taking today are designed to slow the spread of disease.”
