San Francisco declares state of emergency over coronavirus. Here’s what that means(Source CNN)

San Francisco’s mayor on Tuesday declared a local emergency to make it easier for the populous city and international travel hub to combat novel coronavirus if it comes — even while stressing that it isn’t there yet. The move will, among other things, help the city get reimbursed by state and federal governments for money it spends on preparedness, Mayor London Breed said at a news conference

“This declaration of emergency is all about preparedness,” Breed said. The announcement follows similar declarations in California’s Santa Clara and San Diego counties. The move came as US health officials warned they expect to eventually see a continual spread of coronavirus in the United States. Breed’s declaration is effective immediately for seven days, though the board of supervisors will vote on its continuation March 3.  These are some ways the emergency declaration will help the city prepare, health officials said at the news conference:  It allows staff to be pulled away from nonessential duties so they can focus on preparedness and prevention. This includes public health nurses, case managers and social workers, who will assess situations in the city.

Clinicians will be on call at all times to answer questions from anyone who calls the city’s customer service number, 311, with clinical questions about coronavirus. “It allows us to look at things like shelters, and other opportunities for us to expand, in the event that that’s necessary, and do a broader assessment of the city’s capacity to respond in the event that there is an outbreak,” city Health Director Dr. Grant Colfax said.