Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, was first reported in China in December 2019. On March 4, 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a State of Emergency and the County of Los Angeles, City of Los Angeles, City of Long Beach and City of Pasadena all declared Local Emergencies. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (“WHO”) publicly characterized COVID-19 as a pandemic. On March 13, 2020, the President of the United States declared a National Emergency due to the continued spread and the effects of COVID-19. On March 17, 2020, the City of Bell Gardens City Council adopted Resolution No. 2020-21 declaring a local emergency due to COVID-19 as authorized by Government Code Section 8630 and Title 2 (Administration and Personnel), Chapter 2.34 (Disaster Council), Section 2.34.030 (Created – Membership) of the Bell Gardens Municipal Code (“Code”).

On March 19, 2020, the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health issued the Safer at Home Order for Control of COVID-19 to further restrict and limit the gathering of persons and to require the closure of shopping centers, children’s playgrounds, and non-essential retail businesses in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19 within the greater Los Angeles community. Also on March 19, 2020, Governor Newsom issued Executive Order N-33-20 ordering all individuals living in the State of California to stay at home or their place of residence except as needed to maintain continuity of operations of the federal critical infrastructure sectors;. On March 20, 2020, the State Public Health Officer issued a memorandum spelling out the list of “Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers." On March 21, 2020, the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health modified its Safer at Home Order for the Control of COVID-19.

Government Code Section 8630(c) states that a City Council “shall review the need for continuing the local emergency at least once every 60 days until the governing body terminates the local emergency”.  As of July 20, 2020, there have been 159,045 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County, which has resulted in 4,104 deaths. The number of confirmed cases and deaths continue to increase. Conditions of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property continue due to COVID-19 in the City of Bell Gardens. Based on the aforementioned, it is imperative to prepare for and respond to suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases, to take measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, and to prepare to respond to the increasing number of individuals requiring medical care and hospitalization. If COVID-19 spreads at a rate comparable to the rate of spread in other locations, the number of persons requiring medical care may exceed locally available resources, and controlling outbreaks minimizes the risk to the public, maintains the health and safety of the community, and limits the spread of infection in the community and within the healthcare delivery system.