Long Beach Announces First Case of Community Spread of COVID-19

Long Beach, CA – The City of Long Beach is reporting a new case of COVID-19, otherwise known as coronavirus, in an adult woman who did not have known exposure to an individual with the virus or travel to an area of community transmission. The woman, who is in her 60s, is hospitalized and in stable condition. This case marks the fifth identified case of COVID-19. 

The newly-identified case may indicate community spread, which is when an illness from an unknown source. Community spread can indicate that people are more likely to be exposed to the virus; however, it does not concretely define an increase in cases. Details regarding the individual’s exposure location and date are actively being investigated by the Health Department. 

“This case highlights the need for continued vigilance and preparation, especially for those at higher risk of severe illness and those with underlying health conditions,” said City Health Officer, Dr. Anissa Davis.

Residents of Long Beach should continue to practice preventive measures such as frequent hand washing, disinfecting high-touch surfaces regularly, staying home when sick, not touching one’s face with unwashed hands and covering one’s coughs and sneezes. The City urges people to practice social distancing, including avoiding crowds of people and keeping at least six feet of distance from others.

“We want all residents to know that the City is taking strong and proactive measures to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Long Beach,” said Mayor Robert Garcia. “It’s important to prepare, check in on family and friends, and show compassion towards neighbors.”

Measures taken by the City include the following:

• On Tuesday, March 10, in a unanimous decision, the Long Beach City Council adopted a resolution to ratify the City Manager’s Proclamation of Local Emergency and ratify the Long Beach Health Officer’s Declaration of Local Health Emergency regarding the serious and imminent threat of an outbreak of novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
• Thursday, March 12, Long Beach Health Officer, Dr. Anissa Davis, signed a declaration that prohibits all large-scale events in the city. This declaration is effective immediately and will remain in effect through April 30, 2020, unless further action is taken by the Health Officer to lessen or expand the order.
• Mayor Robert Garcia has announced that, starting next week, Long Beach City Council meetings will take place via teleconference.
• Long Beach Unified School District announced Friday, March 13, that it will close schools beginning Monday, March 16. School will resume Monday, April 20. A press conference about the school closures can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsLCMg0uWHY.
• Yesterday, March 13, the federal governmentdeclared a National State of Emergencyconcerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) outbreak.
• Utilities including Southern California Edisonand the Long Beach Water Dept. are temporarily suspending shutoffs.

The City encourages everyone to put together a family action plan, including choosing a room in one’s house that can be used to separate sick household members from others; ensuring access to prescription and nonprescription medication, food and other essentials; and creating an emergency contact list of family, friends, neighbors, delivery services and other community resources. Reach out to elderly family members and neighbors to ensure they have what they need. More information about preparedness can be found atwww.ready.gov.

City residents are strongly encouraged to sign up for Alert Long Beach to receive emergency notifications to their mobile phone and/or email address. This respiratory disease outbreak has no impact on the quality or supply of Long Beach’s tap water and should not disrupt water or sewer service to Long Beach Water’s customers. Details here.

For up-to-date information regarding COVID-19, please visit: www.longbeach.gov/covid19 and follow @LongBeachCity on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.