By: Cassandra Kellum
The City of Manhattan Beach declared a local state of emergency on Friday, March 13th, as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Looking out for the safety and health of the community, the city’s staff activated the emergency resulting in all organized sports, parks and recreation classes, board events commission meetings, local programs and activities to be canceled and postponed until the end of April.
“As the pandemic evolves, the City will continue to respond decisively and appropriately,” Mayor Richard Montgomery said. “City’s actions today reflect the need to protect the public and continue to serve residents.”
When declaring a local State of Emergency, the city must facilitate mutual aid and the access of local resources, as well as an assistance in vital supplies.
“It is pretty scary watching a pandemic take over your life and hometown like this,” junior Payton Goodlin said. “But all we can do now is wash our hands frequently, especially after going to the bathroom and before eating.”
The City began closures on March 14, which included closing The Joslyn Community Center, closing all Elderly Programming and special events are also canceled or postponed until the end of April. The City will postpone programs and events over the next few weeks and will later determine if these programs and events can resume in late April or May.
The Manhattan Beach County Library is also closed through March 31 due to the coronavirus concerns and in addition, the Manhattan Beach Farmers Market, held every Tuesday, will be cancelled until further notice.
“In its continued efforts to practice social distancing and prevent the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), LA County Library will temporarily close its 86 library locations to the public as of 5:00 p.m. today, March 14,” County Library Director Skye Patrick said. “Library programming and events have already been cancelled to limit large group gatherings. At this time, these measures will be in place through Tuesday, March 31.”
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