Long Beach Covid-19 Update: 3.20

March 20, 2020March 20, 2020 LBLN

Today’s Highlights:

By the Numbers (Long Beach only):

14 positive results
- 3 people have recovered
Approximately 140 people currently being monitored

Last night Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an order for all Californians to stay home, marking the first mandatory restrictions for the state.
Just prior to Newsom’s announcement, the City of Long Beach Health and Human Services Department announced the City’s own “Safer at Home” order, asking nonessential businesses to close, residents to stay home, and limit gatherings taking place in a confined or enclosed spaces to 2 to 9 people. Details regarding the order are available here.
At 1 p.m. today, Mayor Robert Garcia will conduct an online Q&A with the Long Beach Post, discussing the latest information about COVID-19.
Port of Long Beach terminals are open and operating. This morning, there were 12 container vessels, 2 bulk vessels and 4 oil vessels at the harbor — a total of 18 ships. Harbor Department administrative buildings are closed to the public, but normal functions continue and staff are facilitating cargo operations.
The WorkPlace job center (4811 Airport Plaza Dr., Suite 120) will remain open to assist Long Beach families, workers and small businesses affected. Information sessions available weekdays from 9 to 11 a.m.
The City urges people to remain calm. Please follow @LongBeachCity on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for guidance for our residents.
City residents are strongly encouraged to sign up for Alert Long Beach to receive emergency notifications to their mobile phone and/or email address.
The Joint Information Center remains open during normal business hours and will remain open throughout the weekend: 562.570.NEWS (6397), jic@longbeach.gov.
The Incident Management Team remains fully operational.

This Week’s Highlights:

Outdoor book drops are closed at all Long Beach Public Library locations through April 30. No overdue fines will accrue during this period. Library patrons can access LBPL’s vast collection of digital resources available 24/7.
The Multi-Service Center is now open all day, without closing for an hour at lunch, to better serve unsheltered residents of Long Beach. All City facilities and services for people experiencing homelessness, including the Winter Shelter, the Multi-Service Center and Safe Parking Program, remain open.
On March 18, the City announced a Disaster Relief Fund for COVID-19 response.
On March 17, the Long Beach City Council voted to establish an Economic Relief Package for the City.
Effective through March 31, 2020, or until further notice, city businesses are required to modify their operations, in accordance with a mandate issued by the Health and Human Services Department:
- All bars, nightclubs, breweries and wineries, as well as gyms and other fitness facilities and large entertainment venues are to close.
- Restaurants and other food-serving establishments are limited to delivery and takeout only.
Effective now through today, March 20, street sweeping parking citations have been suspended. All other parking enforcement will continue as usual.
The City of Long Beach facilities and operations are operating under temporarily modified conditions. Details about City modified operations are available here.
Long Beach Police Department has increased patrol resources and will continue to monitor key resource locations to ensure public safety. LBPD also provided health and safety recommendations to area grocery stores.
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.
Utilities including Southern California Edison, Energy Resources and the Long Beach Water Dept. are temporarily suspending shutoffs.
The City of Long Beach established an information hotline for businesses, workers and employers in Long Beach during normal business hours at 562.570.4BIZ (4249).

What you need to know NOW:

The City urges people to adhere to the new “Safer at Home” ordinance for their ongoing health and safety and those of others.
The City urges people to practice social distancing, including avoiding crowds of people and keeping at least six feet of distance from others.
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 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 at www.ready.gov.
The Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services, Health Department Operations Center is activated at a Level I, and is conducting an extensive contact investigation, following up with individuals who may have been exposed as a result of the presumptive positive cases.
The City of Long Beach continues to monitor the situation 24/7 in coordination with local, state and federal officials.

COVID Testing Glossary:

Positive – Number of people who have received a positive test result. As of 3/16/20, the CDC announced that they will no longer require confirmatory testing on positive tests conducted by outside labs.
Recovered – Recovered means the patient is cleared. They have recovered and are no longer considered contagious, so they don’t have any movement restrictions.
Monitored – The DHHS is closely monitoring individuals who may have been exposed.

A Note About Quarantine and Isolation:

Quarantine is used by public health professionals to separate potentially exposed individuals from the public in the case that they become symptomatic and thus contagious to others. Being in quarantine is not an indication that a person has or is likely to have COVID-19. Quarantined people are asked to limit their contact with others for 14 days, and may be excluded from work or school. Quarantined people should notify their provider immediately if they begin experiencing symptoms. Should they begin exhibiting symptoms, they may be required to isolate.

Isolation means separating a person that is sick in order to prevent them spreading the virus to others. People may be asked to self-isolate at home while they are being tested, while they recover, or they may be isolated in a healthcare setting if they need medical support to recover.

Who To Call & Additional Resources:

Up-To-Date Local Information on COVID-19: www.longbeach.gov/COVID19 and @LongBeachCity on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Highlights can be found using the hashtag #COVID19LongBeach.
Hotline Numbers: