March 18, 2020
The later-named “COVID-19” strain of corona virus was discovered on December 31, 2019, in Wuhan, China. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and 50 membership State’s public health centers were made aware of the new corona virus outbreak on January 3, 2020, including the California Department of Public Health’s Center for Infectious Disease and other states.
60 days later, California government took its first official action…
January 1, 2020
Participating U.S. CDC officials identified the Wuhan seafood market as the source for COVID-19.
January 3, 2020
CDC alerts all states (including Governor Newsom’s office) about the COVID-19 threat and spread.
January 7, 2020
The first known death from COVID-19 is reported.
January 13, 2020
International infections by COVID-19 are confirmed, as the spread has breached the borders of China.
January 17, 2020
U.S. airports began light health screenings of passengers returning from infected areas only, but not multi-destination trips.
January 21, 2020
The first U.S. verified case of COVID-19 was declared. For several decades it has been well documented that infection rates for pathogens generally adhere to an exponential growth rate. ( generally a y = e^x growth, Anderson RM, May RM. Infectious diseases of humans. Oxford University Press; Oxford: 1991.)
January 26, 2020
All U.S. embassy staff were evacuated from U.S. embassies in China via charter flights.
On January 30, 2020, the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee of the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a “public health emergency of international concernexternal icon” (PHEIC).
Still, California government did nothing. Between January 3rd to March 4th, no California state agencies stocked up on extra personal protective equipment (PPE), ventilators, oxygen tanks, or create any strategic action plan.
On January 31, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex M. Azar II declared a public health emergency (PHE) for the United States to aid the nation’s healthcare community in responding to COVID-19.
On February 27, 2020, California State government declared ” Yesterday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed a possible first case of person-to-person transmission of COVID-19 in California in the general public.” Still, California State government did nothing further, representing it as a (federal) “Centers for Disease Control and Prevention” case, while knowing full well that 1st person-to-person transmission was in fact a Solano County resident, and that patients was being treated in Sacramento County hospitals.
From between February 2 and February 27th, more than 8,400 returning travelers from China entered into California. California public health officials told each traveler merely to “self quarantine” for 14 days. Many travelers refused to obey the self-quarantine suggestion.
On March 4, 2020, and 60 days after U.S. federal and state governments were made aware of the exponential infections rates of COVID-19 in China, California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a State of Emergency, and suspended open meeting requirements, notification requirements, ordered “social distancing” measures and full compliance with directives from public health officials under penalty of law, among other things within his Executive Order (N-25-20)
At a press conference on Sunday, March 15, 2020, Governor Newsom declared he was going to order the closure of “bars, taverns, clubs, and wineries…” but not movie theaters, amusements parks,and other similar close-contact venues. But as of March 18, 2020, that Executive Order has still not been published.
As of March 19, 2020 — 77 days after State officials became aware of the exponential spread of the COVID-19 virus — California State government officials staff don’t have any comprehensive public health or public safety action plan to effectively slow and stop the infection rate of COVID-19. However, today, State officials did release the following internal memorandum to State agency personnel.