OC Has Only One Reported Coronavirus Case. Why Declare An Emergency?

There still has only been one case of coronavirus in Orange County, but the county declared a local health emergency today.

At a news conference, county supervisors and public health officials said they made the declaration a day after a senior official at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention essentially said the spread of the virus in the U.S. is inevitable.

The O.C. declaration “expands our ability to respond in a nimble and flexible way” to the outbreak of the disease, now dubbed COVID-19, said County Health Officer Dr. Nichole Quick.

In particular, Quick said it gives the county the ability to request aid from neighboring counties, the state and the federal government if it runs short of funds.

GO DEEPER:

• More information on the OC emergency, plus schools prep for an outbreak