The City of Burbank is taking steps in the wake of the coronavirus crisis. Late yesterday, Public Information Officer, Simone McFarland, sent out a news release about the pandemic. Read it here.
City of Burbank Taking Steps to Prevent the Spread of Coronavirus
(Declares a State of Emergency)
BURBANK, CA (March 12, 2020) –
As Coronavirus cases continue to increase within the State and nationwide, there are many precautions being taken by agencies and businesses to slow down the spread of the virus. The City of Burbank wants to be prepared but not panicked. And as such, the City is also doing its part by declaring a State of Local Emergency and requesting that the City Council ratify the declaration at next Tuesday’s City Council meeting on March 17, 2020. This will allow the City to take extra precautions.
As of today, the City will follow the State’s directive and will be suspending large, City events that occur on or before March 31, 2020, and have more than 250 people in attendance. This includes the Egg-Sight-Ment in the Wild (March 29). Some specific events that require extensive planning and cannot be rescheduled including the Youth Art Expo Opening Receptions (April 2 and 3) and Spring Egg-Stravaganza (April 11) have also been cancelled. Additionally, staff will be evaluating smaller events that have high-risk populations. For a complete list of events and their status, please visit the City’s website. Burbankca.gov
The Parks and Recreation Department is being cautious and will be closing the Tuttle Senior Center beginning Monday, March 16. The Joslyn Adult Center will remain open but all programs, events and classes will be suspended. Joslyn Center staff is available via phone at 818-238-5353 between 8:00 am – 5:00 pm to answer any questions regarding specific programming and activities.
Starting Friday, March 13, all City sports and aquatics programs will be suspended until the end of the month. This includes any drop-in sports.
As of March 12, 2020, spring camps and other programs will continue as scheduled, however, please keep in mind that this may change at any time.
City staff will continue to monitor the situation and make decisions on either postponement and or cancellations as necessary. These will also be posted on Burbankca.gov.
The City will still provide essential services such as the Senior Nutrition Program for seniors through an outdoor pick-up program. Registered participants in the Program will be able to pick up lunches at all three nutrition meal sites (Joslyn, Tuttle and McCambridge) two times a week, Mondays and Wednesdays from 11:30AM to 1:00PM beginning March 16. Frozen meals will be provided for the days when there is no meal pick-up service. The home delivered meals program will also continue to provide meals to our local housebound seniors. For any questions regarding meal pickup or home delivered meals during this time, please contact Nutrition Program staff at 818-238-5353.
During this time, the City will forego the normal cancellation policies for any Parks and Recreation permit groups/events, and will work with permit groups to reschedule their events. Please contact Parks Permit staff at 818-238-5300 or Library staff at 818.2238.5551 with any questions or changes.
The City’s libraries will remain open and are taking extra precautions, removing the toys in the children’s area and wiping down computers and desktops more often. As always, the library offers books and movies online. See www.burbanklibrary.org/elibrary for e-library resources. Some library events for high-risk populations may be cancelled.
The Fire Department Emergency Management Division (EMD) is in ongoing contact with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, and is participating in multiple weekly briefings from the California Department of Public Health and Centers for Disease Control.
To that end, our Emergency Operations team that includes Police and Fire is working closely with LA County Health and monitoring the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) information.
The City will continue to monitor and make appropriate decisions during this dynamic situation. We have linked to the County’s regularly updated informational website through our City homepage. You can access the site directly at http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/.
For any necessary immediate updates, please follow:
Facebook: @BurbankCA, Twitter: @BurbankCA, Website: www.burbankca.gov
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Precautionary Measures:
While it is not possible to predict all the risks we may encounter, it is important to take some basic steps to be prepared for potentially changing conditions. Everyone is used to addressing seasonal flu concerns. It is important for everyone to follow some basic measures which remain the best defense against coronavirus, flu, and other communicable diseases:
• Wash hands with soap and water for approximately 20 seconds-Sing the Happy Birthday song twice to time it out.
• Use hand sanitizer when soap and water is not available.
• Avoid touching eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands.
• Clean and disinfect work surfaces, telephone, headphones and computer equipment frequently.
• Practice social distancing – recommended 6 feet.
• Get adequate sleep and eat well-balanced meals to ensure a healthy immune system.
• Have an emergency preparedness kit at home.
• Most importantly, stay home if you become sick with symptoms such as fever and/or respiratory problems.
The CDC maintains a travel information website for coronavirus (COVID-19). If traveling, be familiar with potential impacts in the areas you plan to visit and practice precautions.
We have included some links below as additional resources:
California Department of Public Health
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
World Health Organization
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