Costa Mesa Facility Back Under Consideration To House Coronavirus Patients

COSTA MESA (CBSLA) – A Costa Mesa facility which in February had been considered as a location for housing coronavirus patients – before the idea was nixed amid local protest – is back on the table.

City of Costa Mesa officials said Monday that the now shuttered and state-owned Fairview Developmental Center, along with the Orange County Fairgrounds, are among eight to 10 sites still being considered for additional hospital beds to address the upcoming surge in COVID-19 patients expected in the coming weeks in California.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has estimated that the state will need an additional 50,000 hospital beds to be able to handle the number of projected patients.

In February, the federal government was considering quarantining California patients who had been evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship coronavirus outbreak at the Fairview Developmental Center. However, city leaders filed an injunction and a judge agreed, blocking the move.

However, the city said in a news release that the Army Corps of Engineers is currently considering both Fairview and the O.C. Fairgrounds as possible quarantine centers.

Costa Mesa declared a local emergency over the coronavirus March 12.

"Much has changed since the Fairview Developmental Center was being considered as a site for COVID-19 patients several weeks ago," Costa Mesa City Manager Lori Ann Farrell Harrison said in a statement Monday. "The federal, state, and local governments are now all actively engaged on the COVID-19 response in a coordinated, collaborative effort. We are in constant communication with all levels of government, including federal and state agencies, who have taken the lead."

As of Monday, Orange County has 464 confirmed coronavirus cases and four deaths.

Last week, Los Angeles County announced that it was preparing the L.A. Convention Center as a potential quarantine center for patients who are released from local hospitals but may have nowhere to go, such as the homeless.