Maricopa County Emergency Operations Center activated to assist with COVID-19 response

At 10 a.m. on March 16, Maricopa County activated its Emergency Operations Center to assist the Maricopa County Department of Public Health in handling the COVID-19 pandemic.

There are three levels of activation, according to a press release. The EOC will be activated at a level 2, which is a mid-level activation and only includes internal emergency management staff.

The Maricopa County Department of Emergency Management will be in contact with all partner agencies including jurisdictions, other Maricopa County departments, and state agencies.

Coordination between agencies will include forming a common operating picture, assisting partner agencies with resource needs, coordinating recovery methods, and continuity of operations planning.

About emergency management

The Maricopa County Department of Emergency Management protects communities by coordinating and integrating all activities necessary to build, sustain, and improve the capability to mitigate against, prepare for, respond to, and recover from threatened or actual natural disasters, acts of terrorism, or other man-made disasters.

Current COVID-19-specific activities include:

• Support County Public Health operations;
• Coordinate logistics and resources between cities/town, tribal, county and fire districts;
• Support local jurisdictions;
• Support county continuity of operations to deliver essential services to the public; and
• Coordinate public emergency information.
• About public health

The Maricopa County Department of Public Health identifies the risk factors and disease burdens of preventable communicable diseases for residents and visitors to Maricopa County through conduct of surveillance (disease detection), epidemiology (science of who is affected by disease), and investigation and contact tracing (tracking people who may have been exposed to the disease), and health education (disease prevention).

Current COVID-19-specific activities include:

• Providing information and guidance for presumptive and confirmed cases of COVID-19.
• Conducting contact tracing and investigation of presumptive and confirmed cases of COVID-19.
• Providing information and guidance for returning travelers to Maricopa County from identified countries with travel restrictions.
• Maintaining communication and coordination with the healthcare system and providers to appropriately screen potentially exposed persons presenting with symptoms consistent with COVID-19.
• Maintaining communications with government and non-government health system stakeholders.
• Fielding calls from and educating healthcare providers to assist with evaluation and testing.
• Fielding calls from and providing guidance to concerned members of the public and partners.
• Facilitating testing of individual(s) who meet established criteria.