For City Council Meeting [December 14, 2021]
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
APPROVAL: Marcus Fuller, City Manager
FROM: Brian Park, Acting Fire Chief
Title
Request City Council to Receive an Update on and Confirm the Continued Existence of and Provide any Further Direction in Relation to the Local Emergency Throughout the City of Rialto in Response to the COVID-19 Outbreak.
(ACTION)
Body
BACKGROUND
On March 12, 2020, the City Council adopted Resolution 7600 declaring a local emergency in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. In the action staff indicated that the item would be brought back to the City Council for updates at each City Council meeting for the duration of the local emergency. The City Council received an update on and approved continuation of the local emergency at each City Council meeting since the adoption of the resolution. Since the City’s declaration of a local emergency and actions on March 16, 2020, there have been significant directives from the State of California and the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health. All of those orders were resolved on June 15, 2021, as the State of California began a process to roll back all Emergency Orders and effectively reopened the state to all sectors without COVID-19 restrictions for those persons that are fully vaccinated. There have been significant changes in the impact of COVID-19 on the community since State’s rollback of specific COVID-19 protections.
ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION
The case rate and hospitalizations for COVID-19 continue to fluctuate in Rialto and the County as a whole. Rialto was on track to reach the vaccination benchmark of 70% by Thanksgiving, however the addition of children 5-11 added to the reporting of eligible residents reduced that percentage.
Masks
Under the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) order on June 15, 2021:
Masks are required for all individuals in the following indoor settings, regardless of vaccination status:
• On public transit (examples: airplanes, ships, ferries, trains, subways, buses, taxis, and ride-shares) and in transportation hubs (examples: airport, bus terminal, marina, train station, seaport or other port, subway station, or any other area that provides transportation)
• Indoors in K-12 schools and childcare
• Emergency shelters and cooling centers
Masks are required for all individuals, in the following indoor settings, regardless of vaccination status (and surgical masks are recommended):
• Healthcare settings
• State and local correctional facilities and detention centers
• Homeless shelters
• Long Term Care Settings & Adult and Senior Care Facilities
Additionally, masks are required for unvaccinated individuals in indoor public settings and businesses (examples: retail, restaurants, theaters, family entertainment centers, meetings, state and local government offices serving the public).
On July 27, 2021, the CDC added a recommendation for fully vaccinated people to wear a mask in public indoor settings in areas of substantial or high transmission. On July 28, 2021, the CDPH added a recommendation in the mask requirements for universal masking indoors statewide regardless of vaccination status. Some jurisdictions, including Los Angeles County, and businesses have reinstituted indoor mask mandates.
On August 10, 2021, the City Council ratified the City Manager’s Emergency Proclamation requiring that all persons, regardless of vaccination status, wear masks while inside City facilities (using established exceptions that allow for unmasking on specified conditions like being alone in an enclosed room).
Vaccinations
Vaccination rates in the City of Rialto have increased from approximately 45% on June 15, 2021, to 58.3% fully vaccinated as of data shown on the San Bernardino County COVID dashboard on November 30, 2021. Another 7.5% of Rialto residents are partially vaccinated (first dose) for a total of 65.8% with full or partial vaccination.
The most granular level of geospatial vaccination information available is at the zip code level. There are three primary zip codes that cover the majority of the City of Rialto although portions of the central City are covered by Fontana and San Bernardino zip codes and the zip code for the southern portion of the City includes the majority of unincorporated Bloomington.
These three zip codes do show variation in vaccinated population rates for those 12 years of age and older (as of data on San Bernardino County COVID dashboard on September 16, 2021):
Fully Vaccinated Any Vaccination
92316 (South of I-10): 57.2% 64.3%
92376 (Central Rialto): 56.2% 63.7%
92377 (North of SR-210): 60.3% 67.4%
*Any vaccination rate includes those with a partial (first dose)
The vaccination rates in all of San Bernardino County as of September 16, 2021, were:
Fully Vaccinated Any Vaccination
San Bernardino County: 54.5% 61.1%
Rialto’s vaccination rates exceed these rates.
It has been reported that 99.5% or more of all COVID-19 deaths reported in California since June 15, 2021, have come from unvaccinated persons. Vaccination reduces individual risk and the collective community risk. Vaccination rates in the City of Rialto exceed the county average and continue to rise weekly and is projected to reach a benchmark of fully immunized Rialto residents of 70% by Thanksgiving.
Omicron Variant
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) designated a new variant of COVID as Omicron - a variant of concern based on evidence showing that Omicron has several mutations that may have an impact on how it behaves, how easily it spreads or the severity of illness it causes. WHO has suggested that preliminary evidence suggests there may be an increased risk of reinfection with Omicron (ie, people who have previously had COVID-19 could become reinfected more easily with Omicron), as compared to other variants of concern, but information is limited. WHO is also working with technical partners to understand the potential impact of the Omicron variant on existing vaccines, and reminds us that vaccines remain critical to reducing severe disease and death, including against the dominant circulating variant, Delta. Current vaccines remain effective against severe disease and death. More is to be determined on the severity of the Omicron variant, leading us to maintain vigilance in mitigating and preventing the spread of COVID.
Continuing Safety Precautions
Masks have been proven as an effective measure to help reduce transmission of COVID-19. Social/Physical distancing practices have been proven effective in reducing the transmission of COVID-19. In conjunction with the mask order, the City has reestablished the six-foot spacing for employees and visitors inside City facilities and is implementing the social distancing practices already utilized at City Council meetings for all in-person meetings in City facilities. The City will continue to require COVID-19 surveillance of all persons entering City facilities beyond lobby areas or remaining in City facilities for greater than 10 minutes.
Continue the Local Emergency
There are still significant impacts on our community, our businesses and to our City services. As such, a local emergency still exists in Rialto in response to COVID-19.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
The requested City Council action is not a “Project” as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Pursuant to Section 15378(a), a “Project” means the whole of an action, which has a potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment. According to Section 15378(b), a Project does not include: (5) Organizational or administrative activities of governments that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment.
GENERAL PLAN CONSISTENCY
The requested action is consistent with General Plan goals 5.7 “Maintain a high level of emergency response capability” and 5.8 “Provide effective and comprehensive policing services that meet the safety needs of Rialto.”
LEGAL REVIEW
The City Attorney has reviewed and supports this staff report.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Operating Budget Impact
The financial impact of the local emergency remains unknown at this time. Expenditures related to the event to date have been accomplished within existing purchase orders and the City Manager’s authority and have been attributed as an event expenditure.
Any additional expenditures using the Director of Emergency Services authority under the local emergency will be presented in subsequent reports to the City Council for the duration of the local emergency.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council receive an update on, confirm the continued existence of, and provide any further direction in relation to the Local Emergency throughout the City of Rialto in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.