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Home My WebLink About2020-03-18; Coronavirus Response Update 6; Harrison, David Fire Department Safety Center 2560 Orion Way  Carlsbad, CA 92010  760-931-2141 t Memo ID# 2020032 Council Memorandum March 18, 2020 To: Honorable Mayor Hall and Members of the City Council From: David Harrison, Assistant Director of Emergency Services Via: Scott Chadwick, City Manager Re: Coronavirus Response Update 6 The purpose of this memorandum is to provide the City Council with an update on city response actions related to COVID-19. Please note this memo focuses on actions and information that are new since the last update. Emergency Operations Center • Emergency Operations Center remains activated to support COVID-19 mitigation operations and information sharing. • Executing EOC objective to support city and regional isolation and quarantine requirements. Investigating additional data sources for trend analysis and pandemic projections. Regional status of outbreak California (as of Tuesday, March 17, 2020, at 6 p.m.) 598 confirmed cases of COVID-19 • 574 cases not related to federal quarantine o 91 were travel-related o 88 acquired from person-to-person o 142 acquired in community o 253 cases remain under investigation • 24 cases from federal quarantine • 13 deaths (two more than yesterday) San Diego County (as of Tuesday, March 17, 2020, around 4 p.m.) 60 confirmed cases of COVID-19 (five more than yesterday) • 56 cases not related to federal quarantine (includes four non-county residents) • 5 cases from federal quarantine • 10 people hospitalized • 0 deaths Carlsbad • No confirmed cases CORONAVIRUS ACTIONS March 18, 2020 Page 2 Regional impacts The San Diego Unified School District was informed by county public health officials that at least one person connected with three schools in La Jolla tested positive for COVID-19. The schools are Bird Rock Elementary, La Jolla Elementary and La Jolla High School. Because of privacy restrictions, no additional details about the individual(s) were released. The district, which closed its schools last week, is notifying individuals who may have been exposed. San Diego County The county has set up a COVID-19 text message alert system that allows County health officials to send up-to-date information and instructions about COVID-19 in the region. People can sign up to receive the messages by text messaging COSD COVID19 to 468-311. State of California The governor has signed emergency legislation providing as much as $1 billion from the state’s General Fund to help California fight COVID-19. The funding is intended to: • Increase hospital bed capacity and purchase medical equipment to combat an expected surge in COVID-19 patients • Provide services to Californians isolating at home • Help local governments reduce the spread of COVID-19 in homeless populations and provide safe beds for people experiencing homelessness • Provide funding to clean child care facilities that remain open The package also provides $100 million for personal protective equipment and cleaning for schools that remain open, and allows schools to maintain funding despite service disruptions. The governor also issued an executive order today to extend the eligibility period for such safety net services as Medi-Cal, CalFresh food assistance, CalWORKS, Cash Assistance for Immigrants and in-home supportive services. Fire Department • Implemented daily health screening process for the Fire Department’s first responders. This requires them to record their temperatures at the beginning, middle and end of their shifts to detect any possible infections and produce the documentation needed for later analysis. • Modified policy calling for first responders to use protective equipment when warranted. • Placed order for additional COVID-19 response equipment with San Diego County, including surgical masks, gloves, handwipes and sanitizers. CORONAVIRUS ACTIONS March 18, 2020 Page 3 Police Department • Continuing efforts to provide notice of the county’s latest public health orders to all affected food service businesses and bars in Carlsbad. Of the 332 in Carlsbad, the department has contacted all but about 70 of the businesses. Officers have encountered no resistance from any of the affected businesses. • Tracking police calls for service that are COVID-19 related. The department has had four- to-five calls a day that are distinctly related to COVID-19 since Monday. Because there is no clear distinction between some calls for service and COVID-19, the number of additional calls for service related to COVID19 is likely greater than that tally. City Attorney • Met with Information Technology and the City Clerk Services Manager to discuss the logistics of holding council meetings that accommodate telephonic participation with social distancing and a 50-person maximum. • Before the meeting, the city received a new Executive Order that, among other things, replaces the provisions of the prior Executive Order with respect to the Brown Act. The new provisions eliminate the need for a physical space for the public to observe and participate in the city council meeting. Instead, a city may hold public meetings via teleconferencing and make public meetings accessible telephonically or otherwise electronically to all members of the public seeking to observe and to address the local legislative body. • The new Executive Order shall apply while public health officials have imposed or recommended social distancing. • IT, City Attorney, and City Clerk Services Manager will meet again tomorrow to plan for meetings that conform to requirements of the new Executive Order. Public Works • The city’s trash and recycling contractor, Waste Management, is decentralizing its customer support functions to allow employees to work remotely starting today (March 18.) City staff will monitor the city’s recycling and trash phone line to provide support to residential customers. Waste Management is not expecting recycling and trash service to be interrupted in any way. • The number of riders aboard the Carlsbad Connector shuttles has been reduced to a maximum of six riders per van, down from the previous capacity of 14, to allow for the social distancing needed to slow the spread of COVID-19. This would be adequate to accommodate our current ridership levels, which has sharply decreased since last week. • The Carlsbad Municipal Water District is providing daily updates to the San Diego County Water Authority on status of water services and monitoring the status of all member agencies, including the other two water districts that serve the City of Carlsbad, Vallecitos Water District and Olivenhain Municipal Water District. • The Encinitas Wastewater Authority is requiring non-essential personnel to work from home and suspending all current construction activity at the plant. CORONAVIRUS ACTIONS March 18, 2020 Page 4 Homeless Response • Many local food distribution programs have closed because of growing COVID-19 concerns. • Staff has reached out to all the homeless food providers in Carlsbad to see which ones are currently providing meals and to try to help them devise creative solutions. The goal is to get the homeless providers together and facilitate a weekly call and get email updates out to disseminate pertinent information. • Staff will be holding daily meetings to share updates and work on ways to help the city’s homeless population during the COVID-19 crisis. Human Resources • Submitted Temporary Plan of Operations • Created new program to determine temporary reassignments • Created COVID-19 contamination plans • Created employee call center for COVID-19 related questions • Continue to track and perform situational research on employees who may have been exposed to COVID-19 o Three employees have been cleared to return to work (two in Public Works, one in City Hall) o Two employees self-quarantined after visiting a foreign country (one in in Public Works, one in Community Development) o Four employees self-quarantined after indirect contact with someone who tested positive (one in Information Technology, two in Planning, one in the Fire Department) o One employee self-quarantined after showing symptoms (Public Works) • Updated Telecommuting Supervisors Guide and Form • Developed and distributed Telecommuting Guide for Employees Innovation and Economic Development • Sent out a communication regarding COVID-19 to local businesses from the City of Carlsbad, the Chamber of Commerce and the Carlsbad Village Association. The organizations will work together to distribute business-related COVID-19 updates to the local business community. • Staff is contacting businesses of all sizes to solicit input on what businesses need and what information the city can provide. Businesses can email business@carlsbadca.gov with any input on how the city can support local businesses. • Economic development managers of North County cities (the Innovate78 cities plus Poway and Encinitas) are convening via conference call to discuss a coordinated business response effort. This was organized by the San Diego North Economic Development Council. CORONAVIRUS ACTIONS March 18, 2020 Page 5 • Working with Carlsbad Village Association and the Chamber of Commerce to issue a list of local restaurants that are open and providing take-out, delivery and drive thru consistent with public health orders. Parks & Recreation • Analyzed potential use of community centers as quarantine sites in response to Fire Department’s survey of possible citywide opportunities • Cancelled special event permit for Walk MS 2020, originally scheduled for April 26, 2020, at request of organizer • Determined California State Parks Department will not be accepting any special event permit applications for 30 days, retroactive to Mar. 12, 2020. • Canceled all remaining weddings, meetings and other events scheduled for the Crossings Golf Course and Canyons Restaurant through the end of March • Continued efforts to set up a potential COVID-19 testing station, or perhaps stations. Library & Cultural Arts • Changed the times for library telephone service to 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (rather than 6 p.m.). • Began pilot test of providing library materials on hold to patrons by mail. City Council Office • Continuing to answer residents’ questions regarding our service changes. Call volume has been steady, but not high. Communication & Engagement • Continued to share health and safety messaging. Reinforced and clarified all directives and shared new ones. • Shared the following information with the public via all city communication channels: o State executive order for renters and homeowners o Reassurance that CMWD customers’ water is not affected by the virus and won’t be shut off by non-payment o Latest county health orders o Senior meal program and YANA o Updated public Q&A o Local emergency proclamation o How to access and comment at City Council meeting o Trash service continuing as normal o How to access non-emergency police services o Update on grocery stores and restaurants as essential services o Update on testing availability o Number of cases o Carlsbad High School student video on social distancing CORONAVIRUS ACTIONS March 18, 2020 Page 6 • Sent employee updates 10 and 11: o Wellness resources o Flow chart for determining work options o Additional guidance on telecommuting and work expectations • Live tweeted County of San Diego news conference and state news conference • Created and posted new daily City Manager’s Report on COVID-19 response for public and employees • Created flier for City Attorney’s synopsis of new county health order for distribution by police officers to bars and restaurants • Recorded video footage and took photos to show city services continuing, examples of social distancing • Created larger “No in-person services” building signage and sent to facilities for public entrance City website Instagram CORONAVIRUS ACTIONS March 18, 2020 Page 7 cc: Celia Brewer, City Attorney Gary Barberio, Deputy City Manager, Community Services Paz Gomez, Deputy City Manager, Public Works Laura Rocha, Deputy City Manager, Administrative Services Michael Calderwood, Fire Chief Neil Gallucci, Police Chief Maria Callander, IT Director Judy von Kalinowski, HR Director Kristina Ray, Communication & Engagement Director