Pasadena officials plan to terminate COVID emergency orders this month

Nearly three years after the coronavirus pandemic was first declared, COVID-19 emergency orders in Pasadena are set to end this month.

The Pasadena Public Health Department announced it will terminate its COVID-19 local public health emergency effective at 11:59 p.m. today

On Monday the Pasadena City Council will also vote on terminating the public health declaration, as well as terminating the city manager proclamation of a local emergency related to COVID-19, effective March 31.

The city will use that time to examine the potential impacts on city programs and services and will present its findings and recommendations at the March 27 council meeting, according to the city staff report.

The move follows Gov.Gavin Newsom's decision last week to rescind the statewide emergency declaration effective this past Tuesday. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors also voted last week to end its local emergency and local health emergency proclamations this week, effective March 31.

Over the past seven weeks L.A. County has ranked “low” in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 community level metrics.

“With the end of the emergency proclamations, the Pasadena community will enter a new phase in the pandemic, but the threat posed to community health by COVID-19 will continue,” interim Health Office Dr. Handler said in a news release.

“Terminating the local public health emergency will shift intervention measures from PPHD to individuals and their healthcare providers. PPHD will maintain a full complement of staff who will continue to conduct contact tracing and case investigations, offer vaccines and boosters, and provide safety information and guidance to the community.”

Pasadena has investigated 42,281 reported, confirmed and probable cases, administered 42,628 vaccines and distributed 32,090 coronavirus tests since the start of the pandemic, according to a city news release.

The Pasadena Public Health Department offers free COVID-19 bivalent boosters Mondays and Wednesdays from 8:30- 11:30 a.m. and 1-4:30 p.m. Appointments can be scheduled at MyTurn.ca.gov, and walk-ins are accepted.

“While the local health emergency is coming to an end, the health officer has the authority to issue guidance necessary to mitigate the impact of communicable diseases,” Acting Director of Public Health Manuel Carmona said.

“Our pandemic response team is closely monitoring the development of state guidance to determine if any existing local requirements need to remain.”