Covid-19Local News

Long Beach City Council approves end of local COVID-19 emergency proclamation

The Long Beach City Council has approved the end of the City’s local COVID-19 emergency proclamation, effective immediately. The decision was made in alignment with the State of California, and in response to a robust vaccine, testing, and treatment infrastructure for COVID-19. The City’s Health Department will continue to manage the necessary resources to address the ongoing public health burden.

Since the pandemic’s onset, the City has conducted over 1.1 million COVID-19 tests, established a local distribution site, provided nearly six million pieces of personal protective equipment, maintained a public data dashboard, and implemented emergency shelters, isolation, and quarantine sites. The City also provided guidance and assistance on health orders to over 10,000 businesses, 178 long-term care facilities, and 234 schools/daycares. Additionally, nearly 500,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered, by both the City and private providers.

Mayor Rex Richardson expressed his deep appreciation to all City departments for their tireless support of residents during this unprecedented time. He also highlighted the City’s commitment to doing all it can to keep the community safe and asked for continued support and cooperation as they navigate the ongoing pandemic together.

City Manager Tom Modica commended the City staff for their commitment to public service and dedication in the face of unforeseen circumstances and challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although the local health emergency has come to an end, the City and Health Department remain dedicated to maintaining access to vaccines, testing, and therapeutics. They will continue to work with federal, state, and local agencies to prevent severe illness and death from COVID-19, particularly among populations at higher risk. The Health Department is committed to updating the COVID-19 dashboard once a week until further notice and will operate vaccine and testing sites for the foreseeable future.

People are urged to take common-sense measures to minimize getting sick and spreading illness, including getting vaccinated, maximizing indoor ventilation or gathering outdoors, testing before and after travel and whenever feeling sick, washing hands often, covering coughs and sneezes, and staying home when sick.

It is important to note that Long Beach has reported at least one case of COVID-19 every day since March 15, 2020, and 1,387 people have died as a result of the disease. Although cases have significantly decreased compared to the previous winter surge, COVID-19 is still causing severe disease, with more than 350 hospitalizations among Long Beach residents this current winter season. The City has memorialized some of the residents whose lives were lost to COVID-19 via its digital memorial, with plans for a physical memorial in progress.

Residents can stay up to date with the latest information and resources by visiting longbeach.gov/covid19 or following @LongBeachCity and @LBHealthDept on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

 

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