Two cases of novel coronavirus have been reported in Manhattan Beach, marking the possible arrival of the pandemic in the South Bay.
City officials were contacted Wednesday by a man who said he’d tested positive with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. The man reported that he has been self-quarantined in his Manhattan Beach home with the other person who tested positive. The two individuals had been traveling overseas together in a larger group when they fell ill.
The city has been unable to confirm the cases with the Department of Public Health. In a statement, the city said that calls to DPH had not even been returned.
Mayor Richard Montgomery expressed anger and frustration with the County’s lack of response.
“This is very disturbing and seriously disappointing to say the least,” Montgomery said. “Not being able to obtain information about COVID-19 cases in our own community is counterproductive to our common goal of protecting our residents.”
The city contacted Supervisor Janice Hahn’s office for assistance with obtaining information from DPH. The Supervisor’s office informed the city that DPH will not confirm or report COVID-19 illnesses to local agencies unless there is known public exposure or need to cancel an event or close a facility. Under state and federal law, public health investigations are confidential.
“It is understandable that this news can be concerning for all of us given the amount of public contact we have on a daily basis,” Montgomery said. “City leadership is monitoring the situation closely, in conjunction with other local agencies and will provide information as it becomes available. I cannot stress enough how important it is that we continue practicing good health hygiene, such as frequent hand washing, as recommended by the [Center for Disease Control] and DPH.”
The mayor indicated that an announcement concerning event cancellations would be forthcoming. LA County announced today that all programs and events scheduled at its libraries — including the branch in Manhattan Beach — would be canceled through March 31. In addition, toys in the children’s area will be removed to protect children and families. A co-sponsored event scheduled for April 25, the South Bay Eco Festival, announced its cancellation today.
The Manhattan Beach Unified School District announced Thursday morning that all district field trips would be suspended at least through April. Superintendent Mike Matthews, who has been emailing daily updates via a district-wide newsletter, said that all athletic practices, games, and performances would continue, but no event will be allowed to have more than 100 spectators and those who do attend will be asked to stay at least six feet apart from one another. This will also impact elementary science nights, music concerts, and much more.
“I encourage everyone to stay calm, make decisions that work best for their families, help, care for, and respect each other, and steadfastly follow all of the social distancing practices that we keep hearing about,” Matthews said.
Anyone with questions and would like to speak to someone, or need help finding medical care, call the Los Angeles County Information line 2-1-1, which is available 24/7. For further information, visit DPH’s website and the City’s website.
