A federal judge late Friday temporarily blocked the U.S. government from quarantining coronavirus patients in Costa Mesa after city officials argued that the surprise proposal came with no information about how surrounding neighborhoods would be protected from the deadly virus.
The city filed a request on Friday afternoon to halt the plan to house 30 to 50 people who tested positive for the coronavirus at the state-owned Fairview Developmental Center until the 109-acre center — which sits next to several residential neighborhoods — is determined suitable for the quarantine and safeguards are put in place to protect the neighboring community.
“It is certainly not an isolated location,” Costa Mesa Mayor Katrina Foley told The Times. “It would certainly be important for us as the lead city to know what the plan is.”
Late Friday, U.S. District Judge Josephine L. Staton issued a temporary restraining order to halt the transportation of anyone infected with the coronavirus to Costa Mesa and set a hearing for Monday at 2 p.m. to evaluate the merits of the request.
Read the full story on LATimes.com.
UPDATE: Judge Josephine Staton issued a Temporary Restraining Order preventing the transportation of persons infected with or exposed to the Coronavirus (aka COVID-19) to any place within Costa Mesa until an expedited hearing can be held at 2 p.m. on Monday, February 24.
— City of Costa Mesa (@CityofCostaMesa) February 22, 2020