Redwood City, Calif. – The County of San Mateo continues to work to protect public health and safety in response to the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19.
The County of San Mateo’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) remains open to coordinate countywide response and communications in response to the situation. The EOC’s Joint Information Center will provide daily status reports at approximately 4 p.m. Monday through Friday until further notice. Today’s report:
Health Officer Bars Gatherings of 250 or More Persons
San Mateo County Health Officer Dr. Scott Morrow has a issued a legal order prohibiting mass gatherings of 250 or more persons.
Effective at 11:59 p.m. on Friday, March 13, 2020, the order applies to public and private gatherings and includes exceptions for houses of worship, museums, malls, hospital and medical facilities, and the normal operations of hotels and airports.
The order will remain in effect until 11:59 p.m. on April 3, 2020, or until it is rescinded, superseded, or amended by the health officer or by the state public health officer. Read the full news release.
The text of the order is available here: https://bit.ly/3b2pC8z
RVs to House Individuals at Event Center
To provide appropriate care and protect public health, the County of San Mateo is utilizing space at the San Mateo County Event Center to currently house two individuals in RVs who need alternative housing and do not warrant hospitalization.
The Event Center, like all fairground sites in state, is designated by the California Office of Emergency Services as a location that can be utilized for emergency response purposes.
“The County understands that some of our residents require our help to socially distance themselves for an appropriate amount of time and we want residents to know that we are taking all steps necessary to ensure the health and safety of both those individuals and the greater community,” said County Manager Mike Callagy.
Twenty RVs brought to the site will provide safe and secure temporary housing for up to 20 people housed individually. Each has kitchen and bathroom facilities.
Staff from the Human Services Agency will provide round-the-clock on-site support while County Health will monitor each individual’s medical needs.
To protect patient privacy and minimize disruption, the County of San Mateo will not share information about these patients or the operation of the site with the public.
The San Mateo County Event Center has no scheduled public or private events for March 2020. The Event Center has also suspended operations at the Jockey Club, a satellite wagering facility.
For updates regarding the Event Center’s operations and calendar, please refer to their website: https://www.smcec.co/
For media inquiries about the Event Center, please contact Kletra Newton at Knewton@smcec.co
Preliminary Guidance for Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly
County Health issued guidance targeted to facilities that provide residential care services to the elderly. Read the guidance.
A hand hygiene sign with multiple translations is available for download at http://eziz.org/assets/docs/IMM-825.pdf
County Office of Education Expects More Schools to Transition to At-Home Learning
Some public school districts in San Mateo County have started to transition to at-home learning. The County Office of Education expects these transitions to roll out over the next few weeks. For more information on schools and COVID-19, please visit: www.smcoe.org/other/alert.html.
San Mateo County COVID-19 Cases Reach 20
San Mateo County Health has updated the number of positive cases to 20.
San Mateo County Health is working closely with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to respond to novel coronavirus and its potential impacts on the Bay Area.
Updates can be found at https://www.smchealth.org/coronavirus
Additional Actions
In addition to activating the EOC, the County has taken the following actions:
• Created a dedicated website with EOC updates at cmo.smcgov.org/eoc
• Established a 24/7 call center – 211 – where residents can call (or text “coronavirus” to 211211 with non-medical questions about the coronavirus
• Board of Supervisors proclaimed a local state of emergency and the health officer declared a local health emergency
• Issued a price gouging alert, reminding the public it is illegal after proclaiming or declaring an emergency. Reports can be made at the District Attorney’s Office at 650-363-4403 or da.smcgov.org/price-gouging-covid-19