Joint Statement from the Westside Cities of Beverly Hills, Culver City, Malibu, Santa Monica, and West Hollywood Regarding Current Response to Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Wednesday, March 4, 2020 – The Westside cities of Beverly Hills, Culver City, Malibu, Santa Monica, and West Hollywood are jointly following the lead of Los Angeles County and its Department of Public Health (Public Health) and are at-the-ready for local action if the County or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend it. The five neighboring cities regularly collaborate on matters of public safety and response to natural and man-made disasters, large-scale regional public events, and emergency preparedness.

In response to six new cases of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) with known origins related to travel, not community transmission, Los Angeles County, the City of Los Angeles, the City of Long Beach, and the City of Pasadena this morning declared a Level Three local emergency.

By Ping Jun Yang

This Level Three local emergency enables local agencies with their own public health departments (Los Angeles County, City of Los Angeles, Pasadena and Long Beach) to transition into full preparedness mode and makes them eligible for state and federal funding for any increase in COVID-19 cases and possible community spread. Under the LA County Public Health emergency declaration and from a regional emergency management perspective, all local jurisdictions within Los Angeles County fall under this public health declaration, including the five Westside cities. Together, and within our local jurisdictions, the Westside cities of Beverly Hills, Culver City, Malibu, Santa Monica, and West Hollywood undergo emergency management training and meet regularly in preparation for a range of emergency scenarios. Each city, in standard preparation for any emergency or disaster, has robust plans in place for continuity of government services and business operations.

At this moment, Westside cities continue to urge the public to do the following:

·        Avoid / Stay away from sick people;

·        Wash your hands with soap and water or alcohol-based hand cleaner;

·        Keep hands away from eyes, nose, and mouth;

·        Disinfect public counters, desks, common areas, phones, keyboards, etc.;

·        Use disinfectant wipes identified for use against Influenza A&B and Coronaviruses;

·        If you have symptoms (fever, cough, vomiting, difficulty breathing) stay home and call your doctor;

·        Remain home until you have spoken with your doctor or health provider and are cleared to return to work; and

·        Cover your coughs and sneezes.

The Westside cities will continue to follow the lead of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in implementing protocols for public spaces and in messaging to the community.

For updates and information about the current numbers of cases in the United States and in Los Angeles County, the spread of the virus, severity, treatments, precautions, and other important public health information in multiple languages, please visit

http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus and https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html.

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