War Rooms, Gloves and Beds: How U.S. Cities are Preparing for Coronavirus
San Francisco declares state of emergency despite no cases; New York’s Cuomo says no reason for ‘undue fear’
Major cities around the U.S. didn’t wait for federal health officials to tell them to brace for an outbreak of the coronavirus -- some have been preparing for weeks.
In San Francisco, local officials have declared a state of emergency despite no confirmed cases. In Illinois, they’re checking stockpiles of gloves, gowns and masks. In Dallas, they’ve set up war rooms to monitor the spread of the disease worldwide, designated quarantine beds and assigned medical teams for potential patients.
“We’re as prepared as we can be,” said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, who coordinated the city’s response to an outbreak of the Ebola virus in 2014.