Emergency proclaimed in all Monterey County cities; Monterey briefs press on coronavirus response.

All 12 cities in Monterey County, and the county itself, have now issued emergency declarations in response to the global coronavirus pandemic. 

No cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the county so far but the rapid spread across the country and relatively slow rollout of testing in the United States led every local city council to respond. 

On March 16, Del Rey Oaks, Sand City, Gonzales, King City, Soledad and Greenfield joined Monterey, Seaside, Pacific Grove, Salinas, Carmel and Marina joined in proclaiming the situation an emergency. The proclamations are issued by city administrators but must be ratified by a vote of city council. 

The purpose of these proclamations is not to alarm residents but to free up funding and reorient the functioning of city government in preparation for the likely scenario of mass infections and the need for medical care and public safety. 

In a media briefing on March 16, Monterey City Manager Hans Uslar urged the public to remain confident in the ability of our government systems to handle this crisis. He said the city has enough supplies to protect first responders and allow them to be out in the field where they are relatively exposed to the virus. 

“We have confidence that we can maintain our public safety function 24/7 in our city,” he said.

Uslar also said that the city has special intelligence-gathering teams that are helping him make decisions and that are looking for any residents who are at elevated risk. A separate care and shelter team has been tasked with ensuring that no one, including the homeless, goes with sanitation, food and other necessities. 

Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, or CHOMP, one four hospitals in the county has tested 30 people for COVID-19 and none have been found positive, Uslar said. The hospital has 240 totals beds and is able to expand its capacity when the need arises.

Trash collections and public transit in Monterey will continue, he added. 

The city of Monterey is also preparing for the economic impact on tourism and hospitality. Hotels are reporting a room cancellation rate of 25-60 percent. 

“Our main source of employment and quality of life is collapsing so we have started reaching out to the Chamber of Commerce to create to contemplate measures to ensure our employers and employees have a future,” Uslar said.