Posted on 03/19/2020 12:25:39 PM PDT by nickcarraway
California is trying to prepare for a future when it will need thousands of beds to house people as they come down with the coronavirus and in the eyes of the state Asilomar has proven itself a successful quarantine site already.
California is trying to prepare for a future when state emergency teams predict it will need thousands of beds to house people as they come down with the coronavirus.
The Governor's Office of Emergency Services is looking for alternative care sites across the state and in its eyes, Asilomar Hotel and Conference Grounds has already proven itself a successful quarantine site.
Advertisement "What is happening to our beloved little butterfly town is really very scary," said Pacific Grove resident Jill Kleiss.
Kleiss has formed the Pacgrovian Action Committee, a grassroots effort to halt the use of Asilomar as a state quarantine site. She is hoping to take legal action against the state and get a judge to order a restraining order to prevent the ongoing use of the beloved state park.
"We are using Asilomar as a rotating virus center and there is no end in sight," said Kleiss.
The California Office of Emergency Services took over the State Parks property on March 10 bringing in sick passengers from the Grand Princess Cruise Ship to recover at the hotel. An outbreak of coronavirus on the ship forced it into a holding pattern in the San Francisco Bay for several days before Gov. Gavin Newsom allowed the Grand Princess to dock in Oakland.
Once passengers disembarked in Oakland they were taken to quarantine sites across the state including military bases, hospitals and hotels. The location assignment was dependent on their condition.
According to Cal OES, those who tested positive for Covid-19 could not be taken to military bases for quarantine. Those who were very ill were taken to hospitals but those who did not need hospitalization were taken alternative care sites. The two alternative care sites were set up at Asilomar and a private hotel in San Carlos.
As of Wednesday 21 people had been transferred to Asilomar and are under medical supervision.
Brian Ferguson with the Governor's Office of Emergency Services said the state cannot comment on the medical status of these individuals or confirm if they have or have had COVID-19.
When pressed on the state's protocol to bring passengers who test positive for COVID-19 to alternative care sites Fergusson remained tight-lipped.
"I see where you're going, and you're using great logic here, but under state law, I can't confirm that, if you see where I am going," said Ferguson.
Asilomar's new guests will each stay at least 14 days at the location and will need to test negative twice for COVID-19 before being released.
Many Pacific Grove residents are asking why Asilomar was selected as an alternative care site. The Monterey Peninsula has an aging population that is most at risk for serious complications related to COVID-19.
Ferguson said the decision was based on location and the need to find an alternative to hospital beds.
"It was in Northern California where the Grand Princess was, and these are patients that otherwise would have gone to hospitals in Monterey County or Santa Clara County," said Ferguson.
Ferguson said during the Grand Princess crisis the state did not want to overwhelm local hospitals in case there was a great need for the beds in the event of an outbreak of COVID-19 in Monterey County.
The state could continue to bring people to Asilomar as needed. California is envisioning a future where the medical system could be put under extreme stress as Covid-19 spreads. In addition to taking over hotels like Asilomar, the state is also looking at a variety of options. Some of those options include buying a federal hospital boat, purchasing old hospital sites and setting up mobile field hospitals.
Ferguson said Asilomar is currently equipped to house 24 people at a time.
"Given the extent of the outbreak the state is looking at many different options on how to treat and provide care for Californians who may come down with COVID-19, but as of this moment and as of the setup we have right now, it's only been set up for 24 folks," said Ferguson.
Neither the county of Monterey nor the city of Pacific Grove was asked permission and the state gave local agencies only hours notice of its plans. City manager Ben Harvey said he first learned of the plan to shelter passengers from the ship during Gov. Gavin Newsom's press conference on March 10.
The lack of transparency in setting up the site isn't sitting well with neighbors in Pacific Grove.
"I understand if they want to bring people here and get help that is fine with me, but I think we should all have been warned before they came here," said Craig Johnson.
Johnson's property sits across the street from the three buildings being used for the quarantine and he wants to know what the future holds for Asilomar.
"Of course, I think everybody around here wants to know," said Johnson.
Asilomar is one of the Monterey Peninsula's many attractions. The site provided employment to more than 100 service workers. All of those employees were told to leave work on March 10 to make room for the quarantine takeover and have yet to be invited back.
California State Parks uses a vendor called Aramark to run operations at Asilomar. According to the union representing the 100 plus service workers at Asilomar, those employees were all furloughed without pay.
"I cannot speak to what the arrangement is between Aramark and their employees because I am just not privy to that information, but I can say the state has worked closely with the concessionaire," said Ferguson about the deal.
Aramark has yet to return our requests for comment about the status of employee pay.
Ferguson said the state is thinking about what will happen to Asilomar when the coronavirus crisis is all over but could not speak to exactly how Sacramento would help the venue recover.
What about Alcatraz? Or Molokai?
Nobody is going to college now and there must be thousands of empty rooms.
Good idea.
Why WAS Asilomar selected as a quarantine site? Strange
I lived in Seaside when stationed at the Presidio in 1985. That was a hole then.
Sounds perfect.
Maybe because it is owned by the State of California.
Do what China did - use the empty hotels and motels.
College dorms are empty.
There will be no spring quarter at a lot of if not most colleges. Makes sense.
Still too weird. The State owns lands in SF and LA and yet they picked 100acres on the Monterey Peninsula to house quarantined people. I supposed it’s more remote than the other choices but still ....
In Spring of 1989, in the last year of Family Practice residency, all 10 of us in 3rd year of residency stayed at Asilomar for a weekend to present our research projects. The lucky faculty of the residency got to cover the hospital for us that weekend.
Asilomar was rustic, peaceful, and a welcome break from hospital duties. I remember it as a nice place. The food was good. Ocean breeze was relaxing.
We all got a plaque with our name on it that said something like ‘Presented at Resident’s Research Conference, Asilomar March (?) 1989”
I attended a conference at Asilomar in December, 1968. Nice place, but it was overcast and misty pretty much the whole three days I was there. But, it’s near Monterey and the ocean, so that’s to be expected.
I thought Asilomar was the new anti-viral drug.
I agree. I drop by there a lot.
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