SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared a statewide emergency due to the threat of new coronavirus, becoming the third US state to do so.
Newsom announced the measure at a news conference Wednesday, saying it was intended to help procure supplies quickly.
Officials say an elderly patient who apparently contracted the COVID-19 virus on a cruise to Mexico in February died in Northern California.
Health officials said the elderly patient had underlying health conditions and died at a hospital in Roseville, near Sacramento.
Another person who had been on the cruise ship tested positive for the virus Tuesday.
Meanwhile, authorities said a medical screener at Los Angeles International Airport has also contracted the virus and is one of six new confirmed cases in the state.
The governor said the state currently has 53 cases of COVID-19.
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