I hope you and your families are all well and keeping positive in these
unprecedented times. While the economic ramifications could be significant,
even more of an issue may be the social and emotional ramifications COVID-19
will have on us and our loved ones. The future is unknown, so think about
where you can make a difference and focus on that - that is in your home,
with your family, with your community. While you social distance and wash
your hands, be sure also to keep the toxins in your body low and your immune
system strong, so if you do get sick you can come through it well. Stay
healthy and be positive.

One of our lobbyists, Roxanne Gould, compiled xxxxxxrmation on the most recent
announcements related to the COVID-19 outbreak in California. I wanted to
share this with you as they are a great summary. Please feel free to share
them with credit.

Governor Newsom held a press conference last evening
<[link removed]
MTE2OjEwMTU4MzA0NzEzNTczMTE3/> to provide an update on California's
response to COVID-19, after which he issued his newest Executive Order.
Newsom began by recognizing this has been a remarkable week, and this is a
very challenging time with a lot of anxiety. He commended the mindset of
Californians, and those all across the country, highlighting the
collaborative spirit that exists amongst government and the private sector,
as well as the California community at large.

General Update
* During today's press conference, Governor Newsom made several
announcements:
* Apple CEO, Tim Cook, is working to provide 1 million masks for
California.
* Elon Musk's Tesla is working overtime to manufacture components for
ventilators. Musk will also provide 250,000 masks for health care workers
in California.
* The Governor emphasized the state's vulnerable populations,
specifically the homeless and senior populations, assuring the public the
state is prioritizing the most vulnerable in the effort to mitigate the
spread of COVID-19.
* 2,400 hotel rooms secured, many in San Diego County, to get people
off the streets as quickly as possible
* 51,000 hotel rooms for the homeless is the goal
* The first trailers have been deployed with an additional 1,200 on
the way
* Dormitories at CSU/UC System may be made available, and sport teams
are offering up their Arenas
* He recognizes the people of California are struggling, citing the
rise in unemployment claims, with the total number of claims hitting 135,000
two days ago.
* In conjunction with state and local health officials, California is
moving to smart, targeted testing for COVID-19, prioritizing community
surveillance to understand what the spread of the virus is and if we are now
bending the curve of its trajectory.
* Regarding enforcement of the statewide shelter in place orders, the
state has the ability to take action and will, if necessary, specifically
citing licensure. At this point, the Governor hopes social pressure will
help change people's behavior, but hinted that stronger enforcement could be
used if unchanged behavior compromises public health.
* In his latest Executive Order
<[link removed]> ,
amongst other provisions, Newsom:
* Waives licensure and staffing requirements for any clinic, adult day
health care, hospice or mobile health care unit.
* Suspends local ordinances including those related to noise
limitations to the extent it restricts, delays or otherwise inhibits the
delivery of food products, pharmaceuticals and other emergency necessities
distributed through grocery stores, hospitals, jails, restaurants and
schools.
* Waiving of requirements that affects the execution of laws relating
to care, custody and treatment of persons with mental illness committed to
or in the custody of the State Department State Hospitals, for 30 days.
* Authorizes the denial of admission or the delay of discharge of all
individuals judicially or otherwise admitted, committed or ordered to
facilities under the direction of the Department of Developmental
Disabilities
* On Friday, the Governor signed an Executive Order
<[link removed]> to
permit vote-by-mail procedures to be used in three upcoming special
elections in order to protect public health and safety during the COVID-19
outbreak. Additionally, the order "extends the deadlines for ballot
counting, tabulation, and other responsibilities related to the official
canvass of California's Presidential Primary Election that could risk
undermining social distancing measures, and suspends the timeframes for
public hearings required by political subdivisions that are in the process
of changing from an at-large method of election to district elections."
* Also on Friday, Newsom launched the statewide "Neighbor-to-Neighbor
<[link removed]> " campaign, a
partnership between Nextdoor.com & California Volunteers to safely deploy
volunteers to help the most vulnerable Californians. The Governor lauded the
intrinsic good of the people of California, saying "it's in these times of
crisis that Californians are at their best, coming to the aid of those in
their community who are most in need. I ask all Californians who are able to
join our Neighbor-to-Neighbor campaign to safely assist those in need in
your community."
* As part of the Neighbor-to-Neighbor campaign and in order to allow
time for AmeriCorps, CA Conservation Corps and Local Conservation Corps
members to mobilize, the California National Guard will initially deploy
personnel and logistical equipment to a food bank distribution warehouse in
Sacramento County, where they will "conduct immediate site assessments
statewide for those counties that have requested short-term support and
stabilization."
* The State also released additional xxxxxxrmation
<[link removed]
-COVID-FOOD-Resources.pdf> about resources for Californians who are
experiencing food insecurity amidst the COVID-19 crisis.
* There has been a great deal of confusion
<[link removed]
ay-at-home-coronavirus-rules-stricter-local-orders> related to the state's
shelter-in-place order, versus those directives issued at the local level.
The state order applies to everyone, with the exception of where local
directives are more stringent - in those instances the stricter, local
directives are to be followed.
* Per Governor Newsom, "go outside and get exercise but use common
sense."
* California's consumer COVID-19 website <[link removed]>
continues to be updated daily. Those seeking more xxxxxxrmation are encouraged
to visit the site, or call the state's toll-free hotline which makes
available the same xxxxxxrmation for those who lack internet access. The
hotline is available in both Spanish and English.

Hospitals/Health Care Update
* Per the Governor's evening press conference:
* 1,000 new beds have been procured over the last several days.
* Due to partnership with the Trump administration, California will be
receiving 8 field medical units, the first of which arrived in Riverside
last night.
* California currently has a bed capacity of 78,000, with projections
indicating the need for an additional 19,500 beds to meet moderate
projections.
* Today, Governor Newsom announced the direction of $42M in emergency
funding to support California's health care infrastructure, as well as
secure equipment and services needed to aid in the state's COVID-19 crisis.
The letter
<[link removed]>
from Newsom's Department of Finance to the Legislature outlines specific
details of the spending, and a brief overview of the expenditures can be
found below.
* $30 million to lease and operate two facilities and to expand the
state's hospital capacity.
* Seton Medical Center in Daly City, which is currently operational
and will expand capacity to provide care for up to 120 COVID-19 patients
beginning as soon as next Wednesday.
* St. Vincent Medical Center in Los Angeles, which closed in January
but will reopen and begin providing care for up to 366 COVID-19 patients as
soon as possible.
* $1,420,000 to expand capacity of the state's public health lab in
Richmond.
* $8,647,000 to purchase new ventilators, as well as IV fusion pumps,
and refurbish additional ventilators.
* $2 million to contract with American Medical Response to provide
patient transportation.
* Newsom also announced the state has begun receiving shipments of
needed supplies from the Strategic National Stockpile. Those supplies
received by the state include:
* Personal Protective Equipment:
* 358,381 N95 masks
* 853,730 surgical masks
* 162,565 face shields
* 132,544 surgical gowns
* 678 coveralls
* 471,941 gloves
o California also requested additional supplies from the National
Stockpile. The additional request includes:
o Personal Protective Equipment:
* 20 million N95 masks
* 10 million surgical masks
* 600,000 surgical gowns
* 600,000 face shields
* 600,000 gloves
* 300,000 goggles
* 100,000 coveralls
o Medical Supplies:
* 10,000 ventilators
o Lab and Diagnostic Supplies:
* 2 million swabs
* 200,000 RNA extraction kits
* On Friday, the CA Dept. of Public Health issued an All Facilities
Letter
<[link removed]
mlAY2FsaG9zcGl0YWwub3Jn&recipientid=contact-fe5edad0afc9e911a842000d3a3b4cee
-e5f8780f57ac4ef19ac48d4dd4a62fe5&esid=2c61b569-eb6a-ea11-a811-000d3a3abdcf>
(AFL) to California General Acute Care Hospitals, which notified hospitals
of a temporary waiver of regulatory requirements due to the state of
emergency related to the COVID-19 outbreak. The waiver is in place until
June 30, 2020, unless extended by Executive Order. Per the AFL:
* Hospitals shall continue to comply with adverse event and unusual
occurrence reporting requirements specified in HSC section 1279.1 and Title
22 California Code of Regulations section 70737(a).
* Hospitals shall report any substantial staffing or supply shortages
that jeopardize patient care or disrupt operations.
* Hospitals shall continue to provide necessary care in accordance
with patient needs and make all reasonable efforts to act in the best
interest of patients.
* Hospitals shall follow their disaster response plan.
* Hospitals shall follow infection control guidelines from the Centers
for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) related to COVID-19.
* Hospitals shall comply with directives from their local public
health department.
* CDPH will continue to investigate and conduct enforcement activities
for allegations of the most serious violations impacting health and safety,
pursuant to Executive Order N-27-20 (PDF).
* For capacity tracking purposes during COVID-19, hospitals seeking
initial licensure or to change beds or services to their license shall
submit an application online at the CDPH Health Care Facilities Online
Application webpage
<[link removed]
c.aspx> . This shall not require approval before the hospital may provide
care, although CDPH will reach out to provide technical assistance to ensure
patient safety and the quality of care.

Business Update
* Via the state's COVID-19 website
<[link removed]> ,
California has released additional guidance
<[link removed]> for
Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers who are exempt from the
shelter-in-place order in order to "help state, local, tribal, and industry
partners as they work to protect communities, while ensuring continuity of
functions critical to public health and safety, as well as economic and
national security."
* During his evening press conference, Governor Newsom cited the
10,000 open jobs today in the grocery industry for those looking for work as
a result of unexpected lay-offs/cutbacks during the COVID-19 crisis.

COVID-19 By the Numbers in CA
The following xxxxxxrmation is current as of 2pm on March 20, 2020. Your local
jurisdictions may have more updated numbers pertinent to your area.
* 1,224 positive cases
* 23 deaths (including one non-California resident)
* Ages of all confirmed positive cases:
* Age 0-17: 19 cases
* Age 18-64: 876 cases
* Age 65+: 321 cases
* Unknown: 8 cases
* 1,200 cases not related to repatriation flights
* 96 travel-related
* 122 person to person
* 325 community transmission
* 657 under investigation
* 24 positive cases related to federal repatriation flights
* Testing in California
* Approximately 25,200 tests have been conducted in California,
including those conducted in both commercial and private labs.
* Roughly 12,528 results have been received and another 12,700+ are
pending.
* 22 state and county health labs
<[link removed]
9-CaliforniaMap-March18-01.png> are currently testing.

Per the CA Dept. of Public Health, "in order to better focus public health
resources on the changing needs of California communities, on March 18, the
state is no longer collecting xxxxxxrmation about California travelers
returning from countries that have confirmed COVID-19 outbreaks. Community
transmission of COVID-19 has been identified in California since late
February, and since early March, most of the confirmed cases in the state
were not related to travel outside of the United States."

More xxxxxxrmation can be found on CDPH's website
<[link removed]> .

Governor's Directives to Date
* March 21, 2020 Executive Order - Expanding the Capacity to Combat
COVID-19 in Health Care Facilities
<[link removed]>
* March 21, 2020 - Takes Action to Strengthen California
<[link removed]
n-californias-health-care-delivery-system-to-respond-to-covid-19/> 's Health
Care Delivery System to Respond to COVID-19
* March 20, 2020 Executive Order - Protect Public Health by Expanding
Vote-by-Mail Options and Extending Deadlines for Presidential Primary
Canvass
<[link removed]>
* March 20, 2020 - Deploys California National Guard to Help
Distribute Food at Food Banks
<[link removed]
al-guard-to-help-distribute-food-at-food-banks-protect-californias-most-vuln
erable/> & Protect California's Most Vulnerable
* March 19, 2020 Executive Order -
<[link removed]> Stay
at Home Order
* March 19, 2020 -
<[link removed]>
Request for Deployment of USNS Mercy Hospital Ship to Los Angeles
* March 19, 2020 -
<[link removed]>
Governor Newsom Requests Federal Assistance to Support California's Efforts
to Prepare for COVID-19 Surge
* March 18, 2020 Executive Order -
<[link removed]> $150M in
Funding to Protect Homeless Californians from COVID-19
* March 18, 2020 Executive Order -
<[link removed]
df> Waiving Statewide Testing for CA Students
* March 18, 2020 Executive Order -
<[link removed]>
Safety Net Services
* March 17, 2020 Executive Order -
<[link removed]>
Ease restrictions on commercial drivers engaged in support of emergency
relief efforts
* March 17, 2020 Executive Order -
<[link removed]
s.pdf> Guidance for K-12 Schools &
<[link removed]> CDE Guidance
* March 17, 2020
<[link removed]
on-to-fight-covid-19/> $1.1 billion in emergency funding can now be used to
increase hospital capacity, clean schools and protect those most vulnerable
to the disease
* March 17, 2020 California Requests
<[link removed]
iver-to-cover-medi-cal-recipients-and-expand-tele-health-options/> Federal
Government Waiver to Cover Medi-Cal Recipients and Expand Tele-Health
Options
* March 16, 2020 Isolation -
<[link removed]
olation_Guidance_03.16.20.pdf> Adults with Elevated Risk
* March 16, 2020 Executive Order -
<[link removed]
df> Protect Renters and Homeowners
* March 13, 2020 Executive Order -
<[link removed]
s.pdf> State Funding for Schools Even in Event of Physical Closure
* March 12, 2020 Executive Order -
<[link removed]-
19.pdf> Enhancing California's ability to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic

Be positive, stay safe and love those around you.
C

Christina Hildebrand
President/Founder
A Voice for Choice Advocacy, Inc.
www.avoiceforchoiceadvocacy.org <[link removed]>
408 835 9353

WWW.AVOICEFORCHOICEADVOCACY.ORG <[link removed]>
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