Coronavirus: Local Health Emergency Declared In Watsonville

WATSONVILLE, CA — The City of Watsonville declared a Local Health Emergency over the new coronavirus as a preventative measure and to help slow the potential spread of the virus.

"We don't want anyone to panic, but it's important that you be prepared to take preventative measures and the City of Watsonville is doing the same," said City Manager Matt Huffaker Thursday in a video.

The city also announced that city programs, events and facility rentals would be canceled through April 6 as a precautionary measure, including the farmers market, Earth Day, census events and more. The Youth Center, community centers, Police Activities League, Science Workshop, Senior Center and Nature Center will be closed.

The Main and Freedom libraries remain open, though programming has been cancelled.

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The city called upon partners and community organizations to cancel events.

The California Department of Public Health issued an advisory Wednesday, calling for the cancelation of events of 250 attendees or more. Organizers of smaller events should ensure participants are six feet away from each other.

Utility late bill and shutoff notices will be waived until further notice, but customers are encouraged to pay their bills online or by calling 831-768-3455.

Thursday night Santa Cruz County announced a total of seven coronavirus cases were confirmed in the community.

Last week county health officials issued a Local Health Emergency for the new coronavirus due to concerns about its spread in neighboring counties and a need to prepare for a potential outbreak.

Anyone with concerns about their health should contact their doctor or call 211 to find a local clinic. The county encourages the public to visit santacruzhealth.org/coronavirus for local updates and links to important CDC updates.

Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Wednesday to provide additional resources, prevent price gouging and help the state better prepare for the virus's spread.

The emergency declaration followed the first known coronavirus-related death in California — an elderly Placer County resident who was exposed to the virus on a Grand Princess cruise Feb. 11-21 from San Francisco to Mexico and back.

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that include the common cold as well as much more serious diseases. The strain that emerged in China in late 2019, now called COVID-19, is related to others that have caused serious outbreaks in recent years, including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).

The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was on Jan. 21. The disease, which apparently originated in animals, is now transferring from person to person, although the mechanism is not yet fully understood. Its symptoms include fever, coughing and shortness of breath, and many patients develop pneumonia. There is as yet no vaccine against COVID-19 it and no antiviral treatment.

According to the CDC, the best way of preventing the disease is to avoid close contact with people who are sick, to avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, to wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and to use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol if soap and water are not available.

To avoid spreading any respiratory illness, the CDC recommends staying at home when you are sick, covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue and throwing the tissue in the trash, cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces.

Read more about the coronavirus outbreak here on the CDC website.