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Home My WebLink About2020-03-10; City Council; ; Update on city preparations for public health emergencies such as the COVID-19 outbreak~ CITY COUNCIL ~ Staff Report Meeting Date: To: From: Staff Contact: March 10, 2020 Mayor and City Council Scott Chadwick, City Manager Michael Calderwood, Chief, Carlsbad Fire Department michael.calderwood@carlsbadca.gov, 760-931-2141 David Harrison, Assistant Director of Emergency Services david.harrison@carlsbadca.gov, 760-931-2137 CA Review J..b._ Subject: Update on city preparations for public health emergencies such as the COVID-19 outbreak Recommended Action Receive an informational presentation on the city's preparations for responding to a possible public health emergency in consideration of the current outbreak of the virus that causes COVID-19 disease Executive Summary The City of Carlsbad maintains a high level of preparedness for potential threats to public health and safety. When first alerted to the COVID-19 outbreak in late 2019, the city's emergency services director coordinated with city departments to review preparedness plans. City staff have also kept in close contact with the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency and its chief medical officer, who have the lead responsibility for directing responses to public health emergencies in the region. This report provides an overview of the measures the City of Carlsbad has made and will continue to make to prepare for a potential public health emergency. Discussion Background A new coronavirus, first detected in China, causes a disease called COVID-191 that has now been found in numerous countries, including the United States. It is a respiratory disease with symptoms similar to the seasonal flu, including a fever, cough and shortness of breath. Transmission and prevention methods are also similar to the flu. There is currently no vaccine for the virus. On Jan. 30, 2020, a committee of the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a "public health emergency of international concern." Similar declarations have since been made by U.S. public health officials, San Diego County and the state of California. Such declarations are made to free up resources for a potential crisis. 1 The virus has been named "SARS-CoV-2" while the disease it causes has been named "coronavirus disease 2019," abbreviated as COVID-19. March 10, 2020 Item #5 Page 1 of 6 Public health experts such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention acknowledge that the COVID-19 outbreak is an emerging and rapidly evolving situation. Reported illnesses have ranged from mild to severe, including illness resulting in death. While information so far suggests that most COVID-19 illness is mild, a report out of China suggests serious illness occurs in 16% of cases. Older people and people with underlying health conditions such as heart disease, lung disease and diabetes seem to be at greater risk of serious illness. According to the CDC, while the number of new COVID-19 cases appear to be leveling off in China, the virus' spread in other countries has been increasing since late February. The CDC has reported what is known as the community spread of the virus that causes COVID- 19 in Northern California, in Solano and in Santa Clara counties, and in Oregon and Washington. Community spread means people have been infected and medical authorities do not know how or where they became exposed. It is a key signal that the virus has spread beyond efforts to contain it. Current risk assessment According to the CDC: • For most of the American public, who are unlikely to be exposed to this virus at this time, the immediate health risk from COVID-19 is considered low. • People in communities where ongoing community spread with the virus that causes COVID-19 has been reported are at elevated, though still relatively low risk of exposure. • Healthcare workers caring for patients with COVID-19 are at elevated risk of exposure. • Close contacts of persons with COVID-19 also are at elevated risk of exposure. • Travelers returning from affected international locations where community spread is occurring also are at elevated risk of exposure. The coronavirus that causes COVID-19 has not yet spread in the region. The County of San Diego Department of Health and Human Services is actively coordinating with federal and state health officials and monitoring potential cases in San Diego County. City preparations For the past six weeks, the city's Emergency Management Administrative Team, under the leadership of the Fire Department, has been actively preparing the city for the possible spread of the COVID-19 virus into the local community, or community spread. This preparation work has included: • Maintaining constant awareness of the global, national and local status of the outbreak. While the situations in other locales may not impact Carlsbad, they provide useful information on what could happen here. • Engaging with other public safety agencies in the region and across the state to try to ensure a coordinated multi-agency response. This has included discussions with other fire departments in San Diego County on how those agencies could create plans that March 10, 2020 Item #5 Page 2 of 6 would help them provide a seamless response to a public health emergency across the region. • Reaching out to appropriate organizations and groups in the city to raise their awareness about prevention and get them thinking about their own preparations and possible responses. This outreach extends to local school districts, business groups, residential care for the elderly providers and service organizations. • Making sure the city has an adequate inventory of the face masks city firefighters and other emergency crews will need to wear as a precaution when interacting with patients infected with the coronavirus. (These masks are particularly important because healthcare workers caring for patients with COVID-19, including Carlsbad's firefighter/paramedics, are at elevated risk of exposure.) • Working with the Communications Department to provide city staff and the public with helpful information about the personal hygiene steps one can take to help prevent the spread of the virus. Those tips are posted in city restrooms and on the page on the city website that provides information on the coronavirus outbreak. • Requiring all city departments to update their lists of personnel who would be .essential in an emergency, and make updates to the city's Continuity of Operations Plan, as required Possible city response measures A public health emergency such as the community spread of COVID-19 could have significant impacts on the city, reducing staffing and hindering normal operations and services while placing additional demands on city police and other departments and, particularly, city firefighters, who provide paramedic service in the city. In the event the appropriate county medical authorities identify community spread in our region, the city manager may need to activate the Policy Group detailed in the city's Emergency Operations Plan. Because staff, community members and visitors commute and travel across Southern California, it is possible that travel in an area of community spread in another county or region might lead to the decision to activate the Policy Group . . The Policy Group is the crisis management team that evaluates an emergency and considers the high-level policy issues that arise as the situation unfolds. This group of city leaders is responsible for making decisions on strategic legal, financial, human resource and inter- jurisdictional mutual aid issues. It's also charged with managing the challenges created by an emergency to maintain the continuity of city operations March 10, 2020 Item #5 Page 3 of 6 In a public health emergency, the members of the Policy Group may need to consider: • Activating the Emergency Operations Center to focus and maximize the city's response • Cancelling public activities and events • Closing or decontaminating city facilities • Requiring that staff use telecommuting, virtual meetings and other techniques to avoid social settings where the virus could spread • Activating the Continuity of Operations Plan • Other issues that are unique to a public health emergency Because staff, community members and visitors commute and travel across Southern California, a declaration that the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 has reached the community spread level in another county in the region could also trigger the activation of the Policy Group. Next Steps Staff will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation, following the lead of San Diego County's public health officials, while working to coordinate infection response plans with other public safety agencies in the region. Staff will also continue to provide information to all city departments and appropriate local agencies and organizations on how to help prevent and respond to the possible spread of the virus in our community. As noted above, the city's Policy Group could be activated if the virus has been found to have spread into our city or if there is reasonable chance of spread in Carlsbad from other communities in the region. Fiscal Analysis There is no fiscal impact on this item. Environmental Evaluation (CEQA) Pursuant to Public Resources Code Section 21065, the efforts described in this report do not constitute a "project" within the meaning of California Environmental Quality Act in that it has no potential to cause either a direct or indirect physical change in the environment, or a reasonable foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment and, therefore, does not require environmental review. Public Notification and Outreach This item was noticed in accordance with the Ralph M. Brown Act and was available for public viewing and review at least 72 hours prior to the scheduled meeting date. Exhibit 1. City Officials Monitoring Coronavirus (from city website) March 10, 2020 Item #5 Page 4 of 6 Travel concerns The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention maintains a webpag~ that includes information and advice about coronavirus for travelers, including areas where travel advisories are in effect. What if ... While there are currently NO confirmed cases of COVID-19 in San Diego County, the potential for "community spread" -cases where the source of infection has not been identified -is significant. For this reason, all county residents are encouraged to practice hand hygiene and guard against the spread of any respiratory illness. Should community spread occur in San Diego, County Public Health and other agencies will post instructions. Additional information Call2-1-1 San Diego County Health and Human Services freguently: asked guestions Centers for Disease Control and Prevention freguently: asked guestions Prevention and treatment County Health and Human Services coronavirus webpag~ February 28, 2020 March 10, 2020 Item #5 Page 6 of 6 David Harrison, Assistant Director of Emergency Services Michael Calderwood, Fire Chief Judy Von Kalinowski, Human Resources Director March 10, 2020 Update on city preparations for public health emergencies COVID-19 •A highly infectious respiratory disease •Spread mainly from person-to-person •Number of cases leveling off in China •But virus’ spread elsewhere has increased 2 “Community spread” People have been infected and medical authorities do not know how or where they became exposed 3 4 ij/ Coronavi rus COVID-19 Global Cases by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University (JHU) Total Confi rmed 118,252 Confirmed Cases by Country/Region 80,757 Mainland China 1 o 149 Italy 8 042 Iran (Islamic Republic of) 7 51 3 Republic of Korea 1 784 France 1 646 Spain 1 457 Germany 959 us 696 Others 581 Japan 382 Netherlands 374 Switzerland 373 UK 325 Sweden Country/Region SUProv Last U dated at (M/D/YYYY) South oacific Ocean Cumulative Confirmed Cases Active Cases Indian Oceen ~ m ~ !§ •• am • AUSTRALI,\ ..... " o,i) • + Total Deaths Total Recovered 4,262 64,391 3,024 deaths 47,743 recovered Hubei Mainland China Hubei Mainland China 631 deaths 2,731 recovered Italy Iran (Islamic Republic of) 291 deaths 1,274 recovered Iran (Islamic Republic of) Guangdong Mainland China 54 deaths 1,247 recovered Republic of Korea Henan Mainland China 35 deaths 1,191 recovered Spain Zhejiang Mainland China 33 deaths 990 recovered France Hunan Mainland China 23 deaths 984 recovered Washington US Anhui Mainland China 22 deaths 927 recovered Henan Mainland China Jianaxi Mainland China 5 ~ Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases by Johns Hopkins CSSE Feb29 • M11inland Chim, • Other Location& • Total Recovered City preparations •Situational awareness to monitor developments and gather potentially helpful information •Engaging with other emergency agencies to plan for seamless response to a health emergency •Reaching out to appropriate local organizations and groups to raise their awareness 6 City preparations •Working to make sure the city has the supplies it needs to handle a infectious disease crisis •Giving staff and public personal information they need to help mitigate the virus’ spread •Updating lists of essential personnel and Continuity of Operations plan 7 Employee communications 8 Public information 9 {cityof Carlsbad Ca Ii fo r n i a Important Coronavirus Message March3,2020 AmessagefromtheCityof Carlsbad's Emergency Services ~;:;:~~~~ public agencies are New Habitat Report Available MarchS,2020 TheCityofCarlsbadhasset asidenearly6,200acresofopen :~~~easpreservesforplants Election Results Visitsdvote.comfortheofficial results.Resultsw1llbeupdated eachbusinessdayafterSp.m ... Time Change This Weekend March4,2020 Aslongasyou'rechangingyour clocksthisweekend,Cityof Carlsbad public safety officials_ Ca Ii for n i a Howcan~ Emergency Preparedness Community Programs ► 11 ■■■■11 COVID-19 "Coronavirus" Information -"• I Home » ... » Fire » Preparedness » Coronavirus Simple health tips • Washyourhandsoftenthroughoutthedaywilhsoapandwaterloratleast20seconds.lfsoapand waterarenotavailable,useahandsanitizerlhathas60%alcohol • Avoidtouchingyoureyes,noseandmoulhwithunwashedhands • Avo1dclosecontactwithpeoplewhoaresick • Stayhomewhenyouaresick • Coveryourcoughorsneezewithatissue,thenthrowthetissueinthetrash • CleananddisinfectlrequentlytouchedobJectsandsurfaces Monitoring,readytorespond TheCountyofSanOiego'sHealthandHumanServicesAgencyisworkingwiththeU.S.Centersfor DiseaseControlandPreventiontomonitorandrespondtosuspectedcasesintheSanDiegoregion Carlsbadofficialsareparticipatinginregularbriefingswilhpublichec1lthofficialsandhavethesetaken initialstepstoensurethecityisprepared Preparednesswithlocalbusinesses,schoolsandregionalagencies Homeless outreach 10 Important Health Alert New virus spreading A new respirator''/ virus that causes flu fj hke symptoms 1s spreading quickly Most people recover without treatment Older people and 1nd1v1duals with senous chrome medical cond1t1ons hke heart disease, diabetes, asthma and lung disease are at higher risk of getting very sick from this illness, and a small percentage of people have dted Ccityof Carlsbad Protect y • Washyou our Health second r hands oft Magee s Thec/tyhase~ Usesoapand and Al, Maxton Bro paced hand Water for Ed ga Norte wn, Pine A washing t at lean 20 Av ucate other parks venue, Hohda s at,ons at Do o,d touching":~'• Who may Y, Stagecoach Avo';;;t share fOod ••ng around not know abo , C touch,n and drinks People wh Ut the virus T ough or sn 9 Your eyes With friend O are sick Yet hrow eeze •nt , nose and s Have y:way any use~ rour sh/rt sleevrnouth Con ur Prescn issues or e ex tact Your dacit1on medic napkins tre:;encmg thes::;r health ::~ens on hand em mptoms C I provider if Contact the H a I before sho:u are emergency ome/ess R ng up for shelter res esponse Tea ources a rn at 760 nd support. -931-2249 for '·· • ·, '~ \. -- ! .,,, .. ~"" ... ' "'"'--.11-,,.<, ~ 0 Vista \ ,.~ ..... ✓ 0 --~- San Marcos (Cityof Carlsbad Coronavirus/COVID-l 9 The,;fy~,~~ha~ Washing health and the health of washing stations to help protect hands often. our entire convnunity. Please wash~~~ 1. Maxton Brown Park 5oo Laguna Drive 2. Magee Park 2S8 Beach Ave. 3· Roosevelt Parking Lot ran Ave Between Carlsbad Village Drive and G d 4. State Street Parking Lot · South of Carlsbad Village Drive S. Cole Library Parkin Lot 1 250 Carlsbad Village Drive g 6. City Hall 1200 Carlsbad Village Drive 7• Ocean Street 8. Pine Avenue Park 755 Chestnut Ave. 9. Holiday Park l055 Chestnut Ave. 1 O. Alga Norte Park 656S Alicante Road 11 • Dove Library 1775 Dove Lane 12. Stagecoach Park 3420 Camino del los Coches Potential impacts Public health emergency could •Reduce city staffing •Hinder normal operations and services •Place additional demands on all city departments 11 Potential actions •Activating the Emergency Operations Center •Cancelling public activities and events •Closing or decontaminating city facilities •Requiring staff to use telecommuting or virtual meetings •Activating Continuity of Operations Plan •Other measures unique to a public health emergency 12 The goal Using planning, awareness, mitigation and careful preparation to protect Carlsbad’s community members, visitors and city staff in the event of a public health emergency 13 Questions 14