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ALL RIGHT. GOOD MORNING, EVERYBODY.
I'M PETER. PETER ZANONI, CITY MANAGER OF CORPUS CHRISTI.
AND I WANT TO WELCOME YOU TO THIS JOINT NUECES COUNTY CITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI PRESS CONFERENCE THIS MORNING. THIS IS AN INFORMATIONAL UPDATE FOR THE COMMUNITY.
AND WE'RE GOING TO HAVE SEVERAL SPEAKERS TALK TO YOU THIS MORNING, INCLUDING AND BEGINNING WITH NUECES COUNTY JUDGE BARBARA CANALES.
THEN WE'RE GOING TO HEAR FROM MAYOR JOE MCCOMB, MAYOR OF THE CITY.
I'M GOING TO SPEAK A LITTLE BIT ON CITY OPERATIONS AND WHAT WE'RE DOING IN THE CITY AS AN ORGANIZATION TO ADDRESS CORONAVIRUS.
AND THEN OUR FOURTH SPEAKER WILL BE ANNETTE RODRIGUEZ, OUR DIRECTOR OF OUR HEALTH DEPARTMENT. SO WITH THAT, LET ME HAVE JUDGE CANALES COME UP AND BEGIN OUR CONVERSATION.
I'M BARBARA CANALES, NUECES COUNTY JUDGE.
ACCOMPANYING ME HERE TODAY ARE MANY MEMBERS OF NUECES COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT.
AND I'D ALSO LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THERE'S A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF PUBLIC OFFICIALS HERE AS WELL. I NOTICED MANY CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS, SHERIFF HOOPER, OTHER MAYORS OF SMALL CITIES AND TOWNS THROUGHOUT NUECES COUNTY.
AND WE'RE HERE FOR THE PURPOSE OF A VERY IMPORTANT MESSAGE.
AND THAT IS YOUR COMMUNITY IS PREPARED AND READY TO HANDLE WHAT IS KNOWN AS THE COVID-19 HEALTH CRISIS IN OUR COUNTRY.
AND IN FACT, AROUND OUR WORLD, COMMONLY, IT IS REFERRED TO AS THE CORONAVIRUS.
AND I KNOW THAT YOU KNOW THIS, BUT I THINK IT'S WORTH MENTIONING, AGAIN, HOW IMPORTANT PUBLIC HEALTH IS TO NOT ONLY THE CITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI, BUT TO NUECES COUNTY, TO ALL OF OUR RESIDENTS AND VISITORS.
I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT THIS IS OUR HIGHEST PRIORITY.
OUR PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS ARE TAKING APPROPRIATE ACTIONS TO ENSURE THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF YOUR COMMUNITY.
I MYSELF HAVE BEEN INVOLVED SINCE JANUARY 24TH WITH THE PARTNERS THAT YOU SEE BEHIND ME.
SO I FEEL VERY CONFIDENT, VERY, VERY CONFIDENT IN TELLING YOU THAT THE PURPOSE OF TODAY'S PRESS CONFERENCE IS TO EDUCATE, EDUCATE, EDUCATE, TO KEEP THE INFORMATION FLOWING FROM PUBLIC OFFICIALS TO CITIZENS.
AND WITH THAT, I WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE THE BEST PARTNER THAT I HAVE THROUGHOUT THIS.
AND THAT IS THE MAYOR OF THE CITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI, JOE MCCOMB.
THANK YOU, JUDGE. WE'RE GLAD YOU TOOK TIME TO JOIN US TODAY.
THIS IS A SUBJECT OF INTEREST TO ALL OF US.
THE GOOD NEWS IS AND I WON'T SAY IT SLOWLY, BUT I'LL SAY IT LOUDLY IS THAT WE HAVE NO CASES IN NUECES COUNTY CURRENTLY.
AND THAT'S ABOUT AS GOOD NEWS AS YOU CAN GET.
AND IF YOU WANT TO MAINTAIN AND STAY UP WITH THAT, YOU CAN GO TO THE CITY WEB SITE OR THE COUNTY WEB SITE AND YOU WILL BE AS CURRENT AS WE ARE IN TERMS OF THE STATUS OF THE CASES.
BOTH THE WEB SITES ARE UPDATED DAILY AND TODAY BECAUSE OF A LOT OF ACTIVITY AND BECAUSE THE COMMUNITY'S RESPONSE, WE HAVE NO ACTIVE CASES.
WE HAVE BEEN MONITORING FOLKS SINCE EARLY FEBRUARY WHEN THE STORY STARTED GETTING OUT.
AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO DO THAT AS THIS GOES BY.
THE BEST DEFENSE IS TO STAY INFORMED, TO STAY EDUCATED AND TO STAY SAFE AND USE THOSE PRACTICES THAT THAT YOU HEAR ON EVERY TELEVISION STATION OR READ THE NEWSPAPERS.
RADIOS CONTINUE TO PERSONAL HYGIENE AND TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF.
AND AT THIS TIME, I'D LIKE TO ASK ANNETTE RODRIGUEZ, OUR NUECES COUNTY MEDICAL DISTRICT, TO COME UP AND GIVE YOU FROM THE PROFESSIONAL STANDPOINT SO THAT SHE CAN ADDRESS THAT.
BUT FROM A CITY AND COUNTY STANDPOINT, JUST REMEMBER, THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT WE HAVE NO CASES IN NUECES AND CORPUS CHRISTI.
THANK YOU. ANNETTE RODRIGUEZ, I AM THE HEALTH EDUCATE, THE HEALTH DIRECTOR FOR THE CORPUS CHRISTI NUECES COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH DISTRICT.
I JUST WANTED TO LET EVERYBODY KNOW THAT WE HAVE BEEN WORKING THE HEALTH DISTRICT SINCE LATE JANUARY ON THIS CORONAVIRUS SITUATION.
WE'RE IN TUNE TO EVERYTHING THAT IS GOING ON.
WE HAVE BEEN IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE STATE HEALTH DEPARTMENT AS WELL AS CDC.
WE JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE COMMUNITY STAYS IN TUNE TO THE CHANGES.
IT'S A QUICKLY EVOLVING SITUATION AND EVERYBODY REALLY NEEDS TO PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT'S GOING ON. AND LIKE THE MAYOR SAID, THERE ARE NO CASES OF CORONAVIRUS HERE IN NUECES COUNTY, WHICH IS A VERY GOOD THING.
BUT IN ORDER TO KEEP THE NO CASES HERE, WE NEED TO DO OUR JOB.
AND SO THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN MONITORING PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN ACTUALLY ASKING FOR PEOPLE TO SELF OBSERVE THEMSELVES AS WELL, TO MAKE SURE THAT THE COMMUNITY STAYS HEALTHY THERE. WE'VE REACHED OUT TO ALL OF OUR PARTNERS, OUR HOSPITALS, OUR HEALTH CARE PARTNERS.
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WE'VE REACHED OUT TO DIFFERENT COMMUNITY PARTNERS, DAYCARES, NURSING HOMES, YOU NAME IT.ANYBODY THAT WILL LISTEN, WE'RE TALKING TO THEM.
WE'RE EXPLAINING TO THEM THE CDC GUIDELINES.
AND IF THEY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, THEY CAN ALWAYS CALL US.
WE DO CURRENTLY HAVE A HOTLINE THAT IS SET UP.
SO WE ALSO HAVE A WEBSITE, BOTH THE CITY HAS A WEB SITE AND A LINK TO THE DSHS AND CDC AS WELL AS THE COUNTY. SO WE HOPE THAT YOU GUYS UTILIZE THESE DIFFERENT WAYS OF STAYING INFORMED. WE ALL KNOW THAT THERE IS NO VACCINE.
WE ALL KNOW THAT THERE IS NO TREATMENT CURRENTLY FOR CORONAVIRUS.
THERE IS, THOUGH, VACCINES FOR SEASONAL FLU.
SO PEOPLE NEED TO STAY AND GET VACCINATED.
THERE IS TREATMENT FOR SEASONAL FLU.
THERE IS THE ANTIVIRALS, THE TAMIFLU THAT THEY CAN USE.
SO WHAT CAN WE USE FOR THE CORONAVIRUS? THEY'RE CALLED NON-PHARMACEUTICAL INTERVENTIONS.
THOSE ARE INTERVENTIONS LIKE WASHING YOUR HANDS.
IT SOUNDS VERY BASIC, BUT IS TRULY VERY IMPORTANT.
SO IF YOU WASH YOUR HANDS CURRENTLY SEVEN TIMES A DAY AND INCREASE IT BY THREE FOLD, 21 TIMES A DAY. WASH YOUR HANDS AS OFTEN AS YOU CAN.
ALSO, SOCIAL DISTANCING IS GOING TO BE SO IMPORTANT.
SIX FEET, BECAUSE WHEN YOU SNEEZE, THAT'S HOW THE THE CORONAVIRUS IS SPREAD.
IT CAN ACTUALLY GO UP TO SIX FEET.
SO STAY AT LEAST AWAY SIX FEET FROM INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE SICK.
YOU SHOULD NOT BE AROUND SICK INDIVIDUALS.
WE SHOULD TRY TO STAY AS HEALTHY AS WE CAN.
SO COVER YOUR NOSE AND MOUTH WHEN YOU SNEEZE OR COUGH.
IF YOU USE A TISSUE, THROW IT IN THE TRASH CAN AND THEN WASH YOUR HANDS AGAIN.
USE THE ARM TO COVER YOUR SNEEZE.
SO THE OTHER THING IS THAT THE MOST VULNERABLE POPULATION IS THE ELDERLY.
AND YOU ALL HAVE ALL HEARD THIS.
SO WE'VE LOOKED AT THE STATISTICS FROM CHINA, THE ELDERLY, THOSE OVER 60.
THOSE OVER 80 DO NOT DO WELL WITH CORONAVIRUS.
SO PART OF OUR JOB AS THE REST OF US, I'D LIKE TO INCLUDE US IN THE OTHER 80 PERCENT IS TO STAY HEALTHY, TRY NOT TO GET THE VIRUS.
IT'S TRAVELING. WE SEE THERE'S HOUSTON CASES.
WE KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON, WHICH IS A GOOD THING, KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON.
SO WHEN WE SAY WE'RE MONITORING PEOPLE OR WE'RE TELLING THEM TO SELF OBSERVE, IT'S BECAUSE THEY'RE TRAVELING BACK FROM CHINA OR FROM THESE PLACES WHERE THERE IS A HIGH NUMBER OF INFECTIONS.
AND SO WE WE ACTUALLY ARE KEEPING AN EYE ON THEM TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY STAY HEALTHY.
SO THE WHOLE COMMUNITY CAN STAY HEALTHY AS WELL.
ALL RIGHT, GREAT. THANK YOU, ANNETTE.
ANNETTE, AS SHE INTRODUCED HERSELF AS THE DIRECTOR OF OUR HEALTH DISTRICT HEALTH DEPARTMENT. I JUST WANT TO POINT OUT THAT THAT HEALTH DEPARTMENT IS A JOINT OPERATION BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE COUNTY.
AND THEY DO OVERSEE THE HEALTH, THE PUBLIC HEALTH OF OUR NUECES COUNTY.
SO THAT'S ABOUT 360,000 RESIDENTS.
RIGHT. SO THREE AND SIXTY THOUSAND RESIDENTS, INCLUDING THREE HUNDRED TWENTY FIVE THOUSAND IN THE CITY. SO THEY HAVE A VERY IMPORTANT JOB.
ONE OF THE THINGS WE HAVE DONE THIS WEEK IS MET WITH ANNETTE AND HER ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, DR. DANTE AND WE'RE REDIRECTING SEVERAL STAFF POSITIONS FROM OTHER DEPARTMENTS IN THE CITY TO HELP ANNETTE AND DR.
DANTE OUT AT THIS POINT TIME TO TAKE TO GET MORE RESOURCES, TO ADDRESS INCREASED CALL VOLUME, TO HELP THE COMMUNITY AND AWARENESS AND EDUCATION.
SO WE'VE DIRECTED ABOUT 20 ADDITIONAL STAFF FROM OTHER DEPARTMENTS TO THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT TO INCLUDE EXECUTIVE POSITIONS, CALL TAKERS, EVEN PEOPLE THAT PURCHASE COMMODITIES THAT WE NEED.
I WANT TO POINT OUT THAT ALL OF OUR DEPARTMENTS, WE HAVE 32 OPERATING DEPARTMENTS IN THE CITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI AND I'VE MET WITH EACH ONE OF THEM EARLIER THIS WEEK TO HAVE THEM BEGAN TO RETHINK THEIR BUSINESS PROCESSES.
AND SO THE CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL, YOU'VE HEARD OF THAT TERM, THE CDC.
THEY HAVE ISSUED NUMEROUS GUIDELINES AND HOW FIRST RESPONDERS, AIRPORTS AND OTHER BUSINESSES CAN CHANGE PRACTICES TO DO WHAT WE'VE BEEN TELLING YOU, WHICH IS PRACTICE SAFE HYGIENE AND REDUCE THE SPREAD OF CORONAVIRUS.
SO EACH OF OUR DEPARTMENTS TODAY IS DEVELOPING A CHANGE OF BUSINESS PLANS OF HOW CAN THEY CHANGE OPERATIONS TO MAKE THEM SAFER, NOT ONLY FOR THEMSELVES, THE EMPLOYEE, BUT FOR THE COMMUNITY. AND SO AS AN EXAMPLE, IF YOU CALL 9-1-1 TODAY AND AN E.M.S.
PARAMEDIC SHOWS UP IN THE CITY, THEY MAY HAVE A FACE MASK ON AND GOGGLES DEPENDING ON THE SITUATION THAT THEY'RE RESPONDING TO.
THAT'S A GOOD EXAMPLE OF A BUSINESS PROCESS CHANGE THAT WE'LL SEE IN OUR DEPARTMENTS GOING FORWARD. WE'VE ALSO ASKED ALL THE DEPARTMENTS TO EVALUATE WHAT ARE THE MOST CRITICAL SERVICES THAT THEY PERFORM.
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IN CASE THERE IS A LARGE CASE OF CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK IN OUR CITY, WE WANT TO KNOW WHAT ARE WE CRITICALLY HAVE TO CONTINUE.AND A GOOD EXAMPLE OF THAT IS OUR WATER, RIGHT? WE PRODUCE WATER FOR 500000 CUSTOMERS.
WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE WATER EVERY DAY.
AND SO WE'RE LOOKING AT ONE OF THOSE CRITICAL FUNCTIONS THAT NEED TO CONTINUE AND WHO ARE THE CRITICAL STAFF AND WHO'S THE FALLBACK STAFF IN CASE SOMEBODY DOES GET SICK.
SO THAT'S IMPORTANT TO POINT OUT FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
NOTHING IS CLOSED IN THE CITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI RIGHT NOW.
THERE WAS SOME RUMORS AT FIRE STATIONS WERE CLOSED OVER THE WEEKEND.
AND THESE CONTINGENCY PLANS AND CHANGE OF BUSINESS PROCESSES WILL HELP TO CONTINUE TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING STAYS OPEN FOR OUR CUSTOMERS AND FOR THE RESIDENTS.
WE'RE ALSO IN TERMS OF PREPARING, WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT OPTIONS OF WHAT IF.
AND YOU'VE HEARD MANY GOVERNORS AND MAYORS AND CITY MANAGERS HAVE DECLARED EMERGENCIES.
WE'RE LOOKING AT AND EVALUATING THE OPTION IF WE WERE TO DECLARE A LOCAL EMERGENCY, WHAT DOES THAT DO TO US AND HOW DOES THAT HELP US IN ACCESSING STATE AND FEDERAL RESOURCES.
SO WE'RE LOOKING AT THAT OPTION AS WELL.
WE ARE IN THE BUSINESS OF, AS I MENTIONED, WITH OUR HEALTH DISTRICT, KEEPING PEOPLE HEALTHY. AND SO THAT INCLUDES TWO THINGS.
ONE, IF THEY GET SICK, WE HELP THEM GET TO THE RIGHT PLACE.
BUT BEFORE THEY GET SICK, WE DON'T WANT THEM TO.
AND SO A BIG PORTION OF ANNETTE'S AND DR.
DANTE'S OPERATION IN THE HEALTH DISTRICT THAT SERVES BOTH THE COUNTY AND THE CITY IS PUBLIC AWARENESS AND PUBLIC INFORMATION.
AND SO YOU'VE HEARD WE HAVE A WEB SITE.
WE HAVE A CALL NUMBER THAT 826- 7200.
WE WANT RESIDENTS TO USE THAT NUMBER.
WE'VE INCREASED THE NUMBER OF CALLERS CALL TAKERS IN THAT CALL CENTER SO THAT PEOPLE CAN GET BASIC QUESTIONS ANSWERED.
AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, IF YOU THINK YOU MIGHT HAVE THE CORONAVIRUS, THAT'S THE NUMBER YOU NEED TO CALL. YOU DON'T GO TO YOUR DOCTOR.
YOU CALL THE HEALTH DISTRICT, AND THAT'S BEING DONE ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
AND SO WE WANT YOU TO CALL THAT 826-7200 NUMBER.
WE ARE MONITORING THIS, NOT IN ISOLATION.
RIGHT. WELL, TODAY WE HAVE MANY PARTNERS HERE AND THERE'S MORE IN THE AUDIENCE.
WE'RE CONNECTED STATEWIDE AND NATIONALLY AS WELL.
AND SO WE'RE DOING CONFERENCE CALLS DAILY WITH THE STATE HEALTH DISTRICT, THE STATE HEALTH DEPARTMENT THAT HAS MANY OTHER ENTITIES PLUGGED IN.
OUR DEPARTMENT HEADS, 32 DEPARTMENT HEADS, OUR EXECUTIVES ARE REACHING OUT ACROSS TEXAS TO SEE WHAT OTHER WHAT ARE OTHER LIBRARIES DOING AND WHAT ARE OTHER POLICE DEPARTMENTS AND E.M.S. DEPARTMENTS DOING SO WE CAN LEARN FROM THEM AND TAKE AWAY SOME BEST PRACTICES TO EMPLOY HERE IN CORPUS CHRISTI.
ON FRIDAY, I'LL BE JOINING A CONFERENCE CALL WITH BIG CITY MANAGERS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY. THERE'S A NETWORK OF BIG CITY, CITY MANAGERS THAT MEET PERIODICALLY THROUGH THE YEAR. AND WE'RE GONNA DO A CONFERENCE CALL THIS FRIDAY TO SEE HOW WE AS BIG CITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY DOING WHAT ARE WE DOING DIFFERENTLY AND HOW WE HANDLING CORONAVIRUS SO WE CAN LEARN FROM EACH OTHER AND HELP TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF CASES AND KEEP PEOPLE SAFE.
I JUST WANT TO CLOSE BY AND I'M GOING TO TURN IT BACK OVER TO COUNTY JUDGE CANALES, BUT THE KEY THINGS TO REMEMBER IS THAT TELEPHONE NUMBER, THE 826-7200 AND SO THAT'S THE NUMBER YOU CALL IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ON CORONAVIRUS.
IT'S ALSO THE NUMBER YOU NEED TO CALL IF YOU THINK YOU'RE SICK.
YOU DO NOT JUST GO TO A DOCTOR'S OFFICE.
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO IS GET INSTRUCTIONS AND DIRECTIONS ON HOW TO PROCEED.
BUT YOU HAVE TO, ACCORDING TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, CALL THE HEALTH DISTRICT FIRST.
AND THAT'S TO KEEP YOU SAFE AND KEEP YOUR DOCTOR SAFE AND PEOPLE THAT MAY BE IN A DOCTOR'S OFFICE WAITING ROOM.
THE OTHER IMPORTANT THING IS THERE ARE NO CASES IN NUECES COUNTY OR THE CITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI. ANOTHER IMPORTANT THING WE'VE HEARD THE MEDICAL EXPERTS TELL US IS AND WE'VE HEARD IT SINCE WE WERE KIDS.
RIGHT. CHILDREN IS WASHING HANDS CONSTANTLY WASH YOUR HANDS.
AND DO NOT TOUCH YOUR FACE AS WELL.
RIGHT. THE CORONAVIRUS, JUST LIKE ANY VIRUS GETS INTO YOUR BODY THROUGH YOUR FACE, THE EYES, THE NOSE AND MOUTH.
SO DON'T TOUCH YOUR FACE AND WASH YOUR HANDS AND USE THAT 826 NUMBER AND ALSO USE OUR WEB SITE. WE'RE CONSTANTLY UPDATING THAT WEB SITE.
THERE'S A LOT OF GOOD INFORMATION ON THERE AND A LOT OF GOOD LINKS AS WELL TO OTHER NATIONAL AND LOCAL SOURCES OF INFORMATION.
THE BEST THING WE WANT TO DO IS KEEP PEOPLE INFORMED.
THAT'S WHY WE'RE DOING THIS PRESS EVENT TODAY.
BUT THAT TAKES ALL OF US TO DO OUR PART, TO READ WHAT'S GIVEN TO YOU, AND THAT'S THERE TO HELP US OUT. SO IF WE ALL DO OUR PART.
SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME THIS AFTERNOON.
WITH THAT, WE'RE GOING TO TURN IT BACK OVER TO JUDGE CANALES.
THANK YOU SO MUCH. I ALSO WANT TO DIRECT THE ATTENTION TO EVERYONE HERE IN THE AUDIENCE.
I KNOW IT'S A LITTLE HARD WITH THE CAMERAS, BUT THE CAMERAS CAN HELP US DO A GOOD JOB AND THAT'S MAKE SURE THAT YOU GET A REAL GOOD SHOT OF THIS VERY IMPORTANT PIECE OF GRAPHIC, THIS SIGN, THIS POSTER THAT REALLY ILLUSTRATES THOSE TOP POINTS THAT MANAGERS ZANONI JUST WENT OVER. IT NOT ONLY GIVES YOU THE PREVENTION RECIPE TO KEEP OUR COMMUNITY HEALTHIER,
[00:15:02]
BUT IT ALSO GIVES YOU THAT HOTLINE NUMBER AND ALSO REFERS YOU TO A WEB SITE.IN FACT, I'M GOING TO ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO GET ON THAT WEB SITE, NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU THINK, YOU KNOW, GET ON THE WEB SITE, GET ON CITY OF CORPUS, CHRISTI'S WEB SITE, GET ON NUECESCO,COM WEB SITE.
THERE ARE A TREMENDOUS THERE'S A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF INFORMATION ON THERE, INCLUDING FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS THAT COULD BE VERY HELPFUL TO YOU, TO YOUR FAMILY OR TO YOUR BUSINESS. IN ADDITION, WE ARE GOING TO BE AVAILABLE FOR QUESTIONS.
WE ARE ALSO GOING TO BE AVAILABLE TO MAKE THIS PRESENTATION.
AND, OF COURSE, THE HIGHLIGHTS IN SPANISH.
WE RECOGNIZE THAT WE HAVE A VERY LARGE SPANISH SPEAKING AUDIENCE.
AND THIS WILL BE ABSOLUTELY IMPORTANT THAT WE COMMUNICATE WITH THAT AUDIENCE ALL OF THE INFORMATION THAT YOU'VE HEARD HERE TODAY.
LET ME REASSURE THAT WE ARE WORKING TOGETHER AS A REGION WITH ALL OF OUR MEDICAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS, AS WELL AS ALL THE AGENCIES MAYORS ZANONI REFERENCED EXCUSE ME, MANAGER ZANONI REFERENCED.
SOME OF THOSE ARE IN THE AUDIENCE.
AND I'M GOING TO INVITE THEM WHILE I FINISH THESE COMMENTS TO JOIN ME BEHIND US SO YOU CAN PUT A FACE TO OUR PARTNERS.
THESE INCLUDE THE COASTAL BEND REGIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL, REPRESENTED BY HILLARY [INAUDIBLE].
DANIELLE HALE COMING HERE, EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DIRECTOR OF THE PORT OF CORPUS CHRISTI.
I SEE NUECES COUNTY CURRENTLY DIRECTOR OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, MELISSA [INAUDIBLE].
I KNOW SHERIFF HOOPER IS HERE.
MAYOR GILBERT GOMEZ, PLEASE COME FORWARD.
YOU REPRESENT A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF OUR WESTERN COUNTY.
LET ME ASSURE YOU THAT I'VE BEEN ABLE TO MAKE PHONE CALLS, ALONG WITH MELISSA [INAUDIBLE], EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DIRECTOR, TO ALL THE SMALL CITIES AND TOWNS THAT MAKE UP THE WESTERN PART OF NUECES COUNTY ALL THE WAY TO PORT ARANSAS.
THIS IS A COMPLETE JOINT EFFORT THAT'S TAKING PLACE.
AND WHY? BECAUSE WE WANT TO BE AS PREPARED AS POSSIBLE FOR A UNIFIED MESSAGE, A UNIFIED RESPONSE. I'D LIKE TO REFER BACK TO SOMETHING THAT MMANAGER ZANONI REFERENCED BECAUSE IT ALSO APPLIES TO YOUR COUNTY.
YOU MIGHT SEE IN THE COMING DAYS OR WEEKS OR MONTHS THAT NUECES COUNTY FEELS IT'S IN THE BEST INTEREST TO DECLARE A LOCAL DISASTER DECLARATION.
THIS COULD HAPPEN. HOWEVER, THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT WE ARE IN A STATE OF EMERGENCY.
WHAT IT DOES MEAN AND WHAT IT DOES DO FOR US IS IT ALLOWS FIRST RESPONDERS, PLANNERS, EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DIRECTORS, MYSELF, AS THE EMERGENCY MANAGER, HEAD OF OUR COUNTY, TO OPEN THE DOOR FOR RESOURCES AND ASSISTANCE AT THE STATE LEVEL.
AND WHILE GARY WAS WORKING TO GET HERE, I KNOW HE'S NOT HERE YET.
WE'VE BEEN VERY CLOSELY IN CONTACT WITH TDEM, THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT. AND WHEN YOU PUT US ALL TOGETHER HERE, COMBINED WITH ALL OF YOUR REPRESENTED GOOD THAT THIS TEAM BEHIND YOU CAN DELIVER THE VERY BEST PREPAREDNESS AND THE STRONG, UNIFIED RESPONSE THAT YOU WOULD EXPECT FROM ANYWHERE IN THE COUNTRY.
AND SO WE CONTINUE TO USE BEST PRACTICES.
THIS IS A DYNAMIC AND VERY FLUID HEALTH CARE SCENARIO GOING ON AROUND THE WORLD.
IF YOU GET ON THOSE WEB SITES, THE FIRST THING YOU'RE GOING TO SEE, THE VERY FIRST THING IS THAT MESSAGE TO CALL YOUR LOCAL HEALTH AUTHORITY.
WE HAVE PLENTY OF PEOPLE TO ANSWER THE PHONE AND WE WILL GET MORE IF NEEDED.
WE WILL DO EVERYTHING TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS IN A WAY THAT MAKES YOU FEEL GOOD ABOUT WHAT YOUR NEXT STEPS ARE.
THE NEXT THING YOU'RE GOING TO SEE IS CURRENT STATUS.
THIS IS ALSO INTERESTING BECAUSE YOU WILL BE ABLE TO HAVE EVERY 24 HOURS.
JUST LIKE I DO. THAT'S WHAT OPEN GOVERNMENTS ABOUT THE CURRENT STATUS OF OUR COUNTY.
SO I BELIEVE THAT IT'S GOING TO BE IMPERATIVE THAT WE ALL TEAM UP THIS UNIFIED EFFORT BEHIND ME. THEY'RE STRONG, BUT WE'RE STRONGER COLLECTIVELY.
SO ALL OF US CAN BE A PART OF THIS MESSAGING AND THIS IMPORTANT EFFORT OF SOCIAL DISTANCING, OF MAKING SURE WE WASH OUR HANDS, MAKING SURE THAT WE DON'T TOUCH OUR UNWASHED WITH OUR FACE, WITH OUR UNWASHED HANDS.
THESE ARE THE STEPS THAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT THAT WE WANT TO MAKE CLEAR.
AND OF COURSE, IF YOU'RE SICK, STAY HOME.
IF YOUR CHILDREN ARE SICK, THEY NEED TO STAY HOME FROM SCHOOL.
THOSE ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT AND VALUABLE LESSONS THAT YOU HAVE LEARNED HERE TODAY.
AND WITH THAT, I WANT TO THANK MAYOR JOIN ME HERE, I KNOW YOU WANT TO THANK EVERYBODY BEHIND ME, BUT PARTICULARLY IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THE PUBLIC HEALTH DISTRICT, THE CITY COUNTY DISTRICT IS REPRESENTED BY A DIRECTOR WHO HAS OVER 21 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE,
[00:20:05]
INCLUDING [INAUDIBLE], WEST NILE, EBOLA, SARS, H1N1, REGULAR INFLUENZA.SHE HAS AN AMAZING TEAM, INCLUDING DR.
AND SO WHO IS THE THE ALTERNATE LOCAL HEALTH AUTHORITY.
WE HAVE REPRESENTATION FROM AN INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST IN OUR REGION WHO IS ON CALL AND HAS BEEN ASSISTING US FOR OVER 40 DAYS NOW.
YOU CAN SEE WHY I BELIEVE THAT CORPUS CHRISTI, NUECES COUNTY.
AND WE'RE EVEN GOING TO REACH OUT TO OUR REGIONAL PARTNERS.
WE'RE READY TO TACKLE WHAT COMES AHEAD.
AND SO I WANT TO THANK YOU FIRST RESPONDERS BILLY, MELISSA, MAYOR, DANIELLE, HILLARY, WHO REPRESENTS ALL OF THE TRAUMA REGIONAL ASSETS WE HAVE IN OUR COMMUNITY.
DOCTOR [INAUDIBLE], ANNETTE AND MAYOR MCCOMB.
AND THANK YOU FOR THE MEDIA TO HELP US IN THIS VERY IMPORTANT UNDERTAKING OF MESSAGING TO OUR PUBLIC. WITH THAT, I'LL YIELD.
I'LL STEP BACK AND ASK IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.