Sacramento City Council declares ‘state of emergency’, discusses funding

SACRAMENTO, Calif .– At a special meeting Sacramento City Council meeting Friday, Mayor Darrel Steinberg and council members declared a state of emergency due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The emergency declaration aims to implement a plan to help residents and businesses that have been affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19).

Schools closed for three weeks: In the Sacramento area, schools will be closed for the next three weeks, according to Mayor Darrell Steinberg.

$ 1 Million Small Business Economic Assistance Program: This will come in the form of zero-interest loans of $ 25,000, according to Steinberg. Loans of up to $ 25,000 will be available to full-time and part-time businesses with 25 or fewer employees. They will be limited and allocated on a first come, first served basis.

“$ 1 million is not a lot of money given the scale of the shutdown of public events and local businesses,” Steinberg said. “The $ 25,000 is important to give businesses a lifeline.”

The mayor went on to say that arts organizations are having more difficulty than other businesses at the moment, the city is helping them. Ultimately, however, they might need help from the private sector, Steinberg said, because the city’s money won’t be enough.

Response to homeless populations:

“Many of our homeless residents live close to each other,” Deputy Mayor Angelique Ashby said. “We need to have a targeted response to what would happen if there was a viral outbreak in one of our homeless shelters.”

City council members addressed the shortage of toilet paper, disinfectant and cleaning supplies, and said part of the national emergency is to mobilize manufacturing in the United States to provide essential items to those who need it most.

Prohibit evictions for residents and businesses: By March 20, the city will follow Gov. Newsom’s announcement on Thursday to ban evictions of residents and businesses unable to pay rent for reasons related to the coronavirus.

Cancellation of special event permits: Mayor Steinberg said the city will cancel permits and reimburse permit fees to event organizers with gatherings of more than 250 people planned. Events will be canceled for at least the next 30 days.

Events with fewer than 250 people can continue – which includes pop-up events and events at community centers, the mayor said.

City center “Holiday parking” approved: Deputy City Manager Hector Barron said free parking will take place on weekdays after 4:30 p.m. and will be free throughout the weekend to support local businesses and encourage shoppers to visit.

“We can implement this today,” said Barron, adding that there could be a lag in the meters, but city officials will not be applying the meters at these specific times. This will be in effect for at least the next 30 days (starting March 13, 2020).

Before the meeting, the city council shared the meeting agenda posted online, which showed they were planning to discuss passing resolutions declaring a state of emergency in Sacramento and “taking related action”; give directives to the city manager and the city attorney to implement these actions; and increasing the city manager’s spending power to $ 250,000 for emergency response needs.

At a press conference on Thursday, Mayor Darrell Steinberg said the city had plans to support small businesses affected by the coronavirus. Steinberg said the city would establish a million dollar economic relief plan for small businesses in the form of $ 25,000 zero-interest loans.

The meeting was broadcast live only to comply with Governor Gavin Newsom’s executive order banning large gatherings of more than 250 people.

According to the CDC, the coronavirus (COVID-19) is a family of viruses that can be transmitted from person to person. It is believed that the coronavirus was first detected at a seafood market in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. If a person is sick with the coronavirus, symptoms they may have include mild to mild respiratory disease. severe cough and difficulty breathing.

Currently there is no vaccine; yet, the CDC suggests the following precautions, as well as any other respiratory disease:

• Avoid close contact with sick people.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
• Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

Some people have compared the low overall death toll to the high annual flu death toll in the United States as a reason not to be concerned about COVID-19, however, doctors and health officials are concerned about three main reasons:

1. There is no vaccine yet and will only be one before the start of 2021, at the earliest. Scientists are still researching what other drugs might help patients.
2. Some people have acquired immunity to the flu, but few are immune to the COVID-19 version of the coronavirus.
3. Influenza and COVID-19 are spread by droplets, but COVID-19 can spread in the air. Scientists are studying exactly how COVID-19 is spread.

Dr Payal Kohli, cardiologist & doctor of internal medicine, spoke with Walt Gray of ABC10 about the novel coronavirus, those most at risk, vaccine timelines, and more.

Dr Dean Blumberg, the chief of pediatric infectious diseases at UC Davis, answered some FAQs from ABC10 viewers on the coronavirus: