A coronavirus health advisory is posted in the emergency department at St. Joseph Medical Center in Orange.
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Orange County is declaring a health emergency in response to the coronavirus, which has killed thousands globally, officials announced Wednesday.
The move comes as local officials are fighting a proposal to locate coronavirus patients to a facility in Costa Mesa, which has sparked a bitter court battle. At the focus of their fury is a proposal to use the Fairview Developmental Center as a coronavirus quarantine site, a notion that drew swift and fierce condemnation from city, county, state and federal officials representing the area.