Sheriff’s Statement on Declared Local Health Emergency
Earlier today the Board of Supervisors declared a local public health emergency in the County of Los Angeles, in response to the novel coronavirus. Although this declaration is precautionary, I want to assure the residents of this great county your Sheriff’s Department is prepared to keep residents safe.
The Sheriff’s Operation Center is staffed 24 hours a day with personnel continuously and vigilantly monitoring the needs for resources across Los Angeles County. Our Emergency Operations Bureau is co-located and in constant communication with the County of Los Angeles Office of Emergency Management to ensure we are ready for a county-wide response, if needed.
We are collaborating with personnel from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, Correctional Health Services unit, to ensure adequate resources are available to respond to any potential outbreak, not only for the public, but for those incarcerated in our jail system, as well.
I want to assure the public we will do everything in our power to keep our residents safe. But it doesn’t just stop there; I urge you to take precautionary measures, to help ensure your own safety.
The Department of Public Health recommends the following to protect ourselves against respiratory illnesses:
- Stay home when you are sick.
- Wash your hands often, for at least 20 seconds at a time,with soap and water. Do this especially after using the restroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Limit close contact, like kissing and sharing cups or utensils, with people who are sick.
- Clean and disinfect frequently-touched objects and surfaces using a regular, household cleaning spray or wipe.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash. If you do not have a tissue, use your sleeve, not your hands.
- Face masks are most effective when used appropriately by health care workers and people who are sick.
- Get immunized to prevent influenza, if you have not already done so this season.
As the Department of Public Health mentioned, please continue to offer welcoming environments for ALL members of our community. Neither the California State Public Health Department nor Los Angeles County Public Health recommend that any regularly-scheduled events be canceled due to novel corona virus. There is no community spread of the novel corona virus in the United States at this time, and the risk to the general public remains low.
