SF Declares State of Emergency Over Coronavirus

San Francisco has yet to record a coronavirus case, but that hasn't stopped Mayor London Breed from declaring a state of emergency. It's a move taken with preparedness in mind, she says, one that will allow the city to pull together extra resources and funding, speed up planning, and beef up inter-agency coordination so that the city can more rapidly respond to a crop of cases if needed, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. USA Today notes the move additionally enables future reimbursement by the state and federal governments.

Breed says that while the risk of infection remains low, it's likely the city will see at least one case "given the high volume of travel between SF and mainland China." The Hill reports Santa Clara County did something similar earlier this month. Of the 57 confirmed cases among Americans, 40 are related to the Diamond Princess cruise ship. (More coronavirus stories.)