- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
Gov. Newsom requests Presidential Major Disaster Declaration for COVID-19; president announces support measures
Federal officials said Sunday afternoon during a Coronavirus Task Force briefing that President Donald Trump will consider Newsom’s request immediately.
Earlier on Sunday, President Trump approved Presidential Major Disaster Declarations for both New York and Washingtons, which along with California are among the nation’s hardest-hit states.
Newsom’s office said the Major Disaster Declaration would include any and all individual assistance programs to assist those affected by the outbreak and lessen the economic impacts of the crisis.
The request would provide additional assistance, including but not limited to, mass care and emergency assistance, crisis counseling, disaster case management, disaster unemployment assistance, disaster legal services and Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance.
As of Sunday afternoon, more than 1,550 Californians are reported to have COVID-19, with 29 reported deaths. No positive cases have so far been confirmed in Lake County.
During the Sunday afternoon Coronavirus Task Force briefing from the White House, President Trump announced several actions being directed in response to previous requests from California and other states fighting the rapid spread of COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus.
“This is a challenging time for all Americans. We are enduring a great national trial and we will prove that we can meet the moment,” said Trump, adding that the nation ultimately will defeat “this horrible, invisible enemy.”
The measures the president announced include deploying the USNS Mercy hospital ship to the Port of Los Angeles, which Newsom had requested on Thursday, hours ahead of issuing a statewide stay at home order.
The USNS Mercy – now in San Diego – is expected to be in place within a week, the president said.
For the East Coast, Trump is deploying the USNS Comfort hospital ship to New York. He said that ship – which is in the midst of maintenance in Norfolk, Virginia – could be positioned in three weeks.
Trump also announced that federal medical stations with additional beds – including more than 2,000 for California – have been authorized for the three most impacted states.
The US Army Corps of Engineers is being sent out to build alternate care sites, more supplies are coming through the strategic national stockpile order, 19 emergency operation centers will be established throughout the country and the National Guard has been activated for California, New York and Washington, he said.
Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Peter Gaylor emphasized that the activation of the National Guard “is not martial law.”
Vice President Mike Pence, who heads the Coronavirus Task Force, said Sunday that so far 254,000 people have been tested for COVID-19 across the United States.
The latest COVID-19 statistics, reported separately, indicate more than 32,000 Americans have tested positive for the illness.
Pence said testing will continue to be rolled out nationwide, with the backlog of testing anticipated to be caught up by the middle of the week.
He said all commercial labs in the United States will receive guidance by Monday, and they will be urged to prioritize testing of patients who are in the hospital.
Pence said that on Saturday, the Food and Drug Administration approved an emergency authorization for a new COVID-19 test that could be in production by the end of March.
That test, said Pence, would yield results within 45 minutes. Currently, testing takes days.
Learn more about California’s ongoing COVID-19 emergency response here.
The governor’s request for a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration for the state’s COVID-19 preparedness and emergency response efforts can be seen below.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
3.22.20 Major Disaster Decl COVID19 by LakeCoNews on Scribd