COSTA MESA, CA — The City Council in a special meeting on Friday March 13 voted to both declare an urgency ordinance and ratify the decision by City Manager Lori Ann Farrell Harrison to declare a local emergency to protect the public’s health and welfare against the spread of COVID-19.
Costa Mesa was the first city in the county to declare an emergency. The county issued an emergency proclamation on Feb. 26.
“I want to assure every community member that the City of Costa Mesa is actively preparing to mitigate the impact of Coronavirus,” Mayor Katrina Foley said. “For the past month, the City of Costa Mesa has been aggressively preparing contingency plans should the situation come close to home. These bold preparatory measures will keep our City safer.”
As of March 13, the City of Costa Mesa has no known cases of COVID-19 and there is no community transmission of the virus in the County of Orange, according to the OC Health Agency.
“Despite not having any known cases in Costa Mesa, I took this action out of an abundance of caution,” City Manager Farrell Harrison said. “We need to assure the city employees, members of the public, business owners, visitors, local stakeholders and partners that their city leaders and public safety officials are prepared and are securing the full suite of resources to help mitigate and reduce the community’s risk.”
Based on guidance from Governor Gavin Newsom and the California Department of Public Health, the City took the bold step to order the cancellation of all non-essential meetings and functions and all large gatherings of 250 people or more.
This includes postponing or cancelling smaller gatherings that do not allow social distancing of six feet per person or involve individuals at high risk of infection, including those over 60 years of age or with underlying conditions.
Additionally, the city has cancelled special events through the month of April.
Please check the City’s web page at www.costamesaca.gov/covid19 and follow the city’s social media channels on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Nextdoor for the latest information.