San Francisco Mayor London Breed declared a state of emergency in her city over fears of the coronavirus.
The city has yet to confirm a single case of the mysterious illness within its limits, but Breed made the designation on Tuesday in order to prepare the city for the infection.
“The global picture is changing rapidly, and we need to step up preparedness,” Breed said in a statement. “We see the virus spreading in new parts of the world every day, and we are taking the necessary steps to protect San Franciscans from harm.”
Hours before Breed declared a state of emergency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccine expert Nancy Messonnier warned that the coronavirus would spread widely through the United States in a matter of time. She added that “disruption to everyday life might be severe.”
San Diego County in California declared a local health emergency due to the coronavirus on Feb. 14. Evacuees from Wuhan, China, where the virus originated in December, have been flown into San Diego and held in quarantine at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. Eight cases of the illness have been confirmed in California, with a few of those coming from groups of evacuees held at the San Diego air base.
U.S. health officials say that the creation of a coronavirus vaccine is ahead of schedule, and it expects to start clinical trials in two to three months.
