In Case You Missed It…
L.A. Daily Pilot
Michelle Steel
May 14, 2020
As we continue battling the novel coronavirus and work diligently to safely get our small business and workers on solid footing, let me make one thing clear: I always have and always will fight for the citizens of Orange County.
When the governor arbitrarily singled out Orange County, despite all of the hard work we’ve done fighting COVID-19, I had to speak out…
On Feb. 26, at a time when there were no reported COVID-19 cases in Orange County, we declared an emergency and continued to work hand-in-glove with the state on our response efforts. That is why our COVID-19 numbers compared to our region are low.
Putting in place all of the restrictions so to “flatten the curve” was done to slow the spread of the virus and not overwhelm our health care system. Our health care system is doing well, nowhere near capacity of beds.
We also will continue to grow our testing capabilities. In April we launched a testing network which already has several sites. The state is also expanding testing guidance allowing for the testing of asymptomatic individuals…
We have asked our local city council members and mayors, business leaders and public health experts to join in forging a responsible and effective plan to mitigate the economic damage we’ve experienced from COVID-19…
Nearly every week I field calls from business owners who have been forced to lay off employees or employees who are barely scraping by.
This simply cannot go on forever.
The state has begun a process of reopening, and Orange County is more than ready to lead on this front…
We’ve sought to ensure health and safety while at the same time trying to allow some sense of everyday normalcy to remain intact.
But, rest assured, as we enter the next stages of our battle with COVID-19, know that every decision made is one with health and safety being first among others.
Our community has done its part and is ready to get our economy safely moving again.
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