The safety and well-being of the Costa Mesa community is a top priority for the Mayor and City Council, City Manager and staff at City Hall. I want to provide you with an update of all the measures the City of Costa Mesa is taking to address the challenges related to the transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19) and to proactively mitigate its spread.
Local Emergency Declaration
On March 12, 2020, I declared a local emergency to protect the public’s health and welfare and help ensure the receipt of Federal and State resources to assist the City in combatting coronavirus. The emergency declaration was ratified by a unanimous vote of the City Council on March 13, 2020. While there are no known cases of COVID-19 in the City of Costa Mesa to date, and there has been no community transmission of the virus in the County of Orange, time is of the utmost essence. The City’s emergency declaration will remain in effect until further notice.
Protective Measures
To protect public health and slow the rate of transmission of COVID-19, the City is taking numerous proactive and precautionary measures. We expanded on the guidance issued by Governor Newsom and the California Department of Public Health on March 11, 2020, and adopted the following measures:
Outright Ban of Large Gatherings
The City has ordered the cancellation of all large gatherings of 250 people or more within the city’s boundaries. Smaller gatherings that do not allow social distancing of six feet per person, or involve individuals at high-risk for infection, including individuals over 60 years of age or those with underlying chronic health conditions, have also been cancelled until further notice.
Special Events Cancellations
Private special events are cancelled through April 30, 2020 including:
3/14 Drum Circle Event - Donald Dungan Library
3/17 Durty Nelly’s – St. Patrick’s Event
4/2 Share Ourselves Wild and Crazy Taco Night
4/3 Ragnar Relay
4/4 Torelli Eggcitement Community Easter Egg Hunt
4/25 Epilepsy Support Network’s - Epilepsy Walk
Senior Center Closure (except for meals)
The Senior Center at 695 W. 19th Street will be closed for non-essential public access. Essential services related to meals and social services will be available on a limited basis. Please contact the Senior Center for detailed information about access to specific resources at (714) 327-7550 or via email
[email protected]
.
Cancellation of Youth Sports
City-sponsored youth sports are cancelled through April 30th until further notice.
Cancellation of Adult Recreation Classes
Adult recreation classes sponsored by our Parks and Community Services Department are also cancelled through April 30th until further notice.
Cancellation of Commission and Committee Meetings
Public meetings including those for Commissions and Committees that are non-essential will be postponed until further notice. Special meetings may be convened on a limited basis to address essential city business that cannot be deferred during this period. Planning Commission meetings are considered essential business until further notice.
Modified City Council Meetings
As of March 12, 2020, the City instituted a Safety Alert warning system at all City facilities including the City Council Chambers strongly encouraging members of the public to participate remotely, especially high-risk populations. The City Council meeting scheduled for March 17, 2020, will take place in the City Council Chambers. However, the City is encouraging the public to participate remotely on television or online instead of attending in person to help mitigate risk, especially for high risk populations.
The meetings are broadcasted live on Spectrum TV Channel 3 and AT&T U-Verse Channel 99 and live-streamed at
youtube.com/costamesatv
. Members of the public who wish to comment on matters before the City Council, in-lieu-of doing so in person, please submit comments in writing via mail to “City Council” at 77 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626 or by email to
[email protected]
. The comments will be provided to the City Council as part of the meeting record and will be uploaded on the City’s website. We are also considering teleconferencing options to further mitigate exposure.
Safety Measures at City Facilities
The City of Costa Mesa has increased the frequency and duration of the cleaning and disinfecting of all city facilities including additional wiping down of door handles, stair rails, elevator buttons, break room surfaces, and lobby surfaces every 1-2 hours. Hand sanitizers/stations have been placed throughout for public and employee use. Safety Alerts are posted emphasizing covering mouth when coughing, staying home when sick and washing hands.
We are currently working with Orange County Health Services regarding the City’s homeless shelter and making sure we are taking protective measures to ensure the well-being of clients and staff.
The Emergency Operations Center was activated approximately one month ago. Since then the city has continued to hold daily internal meetings with Public Information Officers, other city leaders, other governmental agencies and staff regarding COVID-19. Dispatch protocols were modified proactively, a month ago, to address the coming challenges of COVID-19. We will continue to reevaluate these protocols as necessary according to best practices. Telecommuting options for staff are also being considered.
Status Updates
As conditions continue to evolve, the City’s leaders will reevaluate and adjust to the changing circumstances. You have our commitment to update the public regularly via the website and other means. In addition, we are making sure that essential daily operations for the City continue during this time.
These are extraordinary times, which call for extraordinary measures, and we will continue to refine plans as we move forward. On a daily basis and hourly, when deemed necessary, the City will reevaluate operational impacts when making decisions regarding essential and non-essential city functions.
Please refer to our website for further updates. The public is advised to visit the city’s website and social media sites for up to date information, where we will continue to provide the latest information relating to COVID-19.
www.costamesaca.gov/covid19
. . Information will also be available in Spanish.
The City has been proactive in its efforts to mitigate the community’s risk as the COVID-19 global challenge continues. We strongly value the importance of prevention. In times such as these, it greatly outweighs the inconvenience we feel by not having the full operation of the great services and activities hosted by the City in our normal quality of life experiences.
Stay healthy, be strong and we can beat this together!
#BeAwareBePrepared
Sincerely,
Lori Ann Farrell Harrison
City Manager
