Santa Monica Declares Local Emergency Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

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SANTA MONICA (CBSLA) -- The city of Santa Monica declared a local public health emergency Friday due to the spread of coronavirus across Southern California. The move comes one day after an employee at Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade Apple store tested positive for COVID-19.

"Coronavirus is almost certainly coming to Santa Monica," the state of emergency declaration states. "The spread of the coronavirus underscores our increased interconnectedness and why we are not immune to a global pandemic."

The proclamation was issued late Friday by City Manager Rick Cole, and it cites the city's 90,000 residents, its status as a major tourist and business destination, and its proximity to the city of Los Angeles as factors making it likely there will be more cases there in the coming days.

The announcement follows similar moves by other county, state, and federal officials, including President Trump, who declared the coronavirus pandemic a national emergency on Friday.

Also on Saturday, the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District announced it will be fully closed beginning Tuesday, after the two-day student dismissal it already had in place.