REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Adopt a Resolution Extending the City's Declaration of Local Emergency for COVID-19
Report
DISCUSSION
On March 12, 2020, City Manager Kent Steffens declared a local health emergency pursuant to the authority granted to him as the Emergency Services Director in Sunnyvale Municipal Code Chapter 2.16 (Emergency Organization and Functions) and applicable state law. The City Council adopted a resolution ratifying that declaration (Resolution No. 979-20) on March 17, 2020, and resolutions extending the declaration on April 7, 2020 (Resolution No. 981-20), May 26, 2020 (Resolution No. 994-20), July 14, 2020 (Resolution No. 1010-20), August 25, 2020 (Resolution No. 1016-20), October 13, 2020 (Resolution No. 1025-20), December 8, 2020 (Resolution No. 1036-20), February 2, 2021 (Resolution No. 1042-21), March 30, 2021 (Resolution No. 1045-21), May 25, 2021 (Resolution No. 1057-21), July 13, 2021 (Resolution No. 1069-21), August 31, 2021 (Resolution No. 1078-21) and October 26, 2021 (Resolution No. 1088-21).
The path of the pandemic continues to be difficult to predict. Although vaccinations and treatments for COVID-19 are more widely available, Santa Clara County remains under a mask mandate, and the California state of emergency and Santa Clara County's local emergency declarations related to COVID-19 remain in effect. On November 10, 2021, Governor Newsom extended the state of emergency related to COVID 19 based on concerns that the week-over-week declines in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations had stopped, a potential indicator of a potential new surge in COVID-19 cases that other areas of the country and world are currently experiencing. In addition, many residents and businesses continue to suffer economic hardship that began while the stay-home orders were in effect and are still at the beginning of their recovery periods.
Therefore, staff anticipates that the COVID-19 emergency conditions will continue for some time. Staff reco...
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