The rapid explosion of the coronavirus throughout the world, including California and Los Angeles County, has forced MySafe:LA to suspend school presentations, disaster decathlons, older adult presentations, and smoke alarm canvassing and installations.

Since California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a State of Emergency on March 4, 2020, MySafe:LA has been closely monitoring the rapid spread of the virus. On March 11, 2020, the State directed that mass gatherings be postponed or cancelled as a result of the spread of the virus.

“MySafe:LA is about engagement and that means we typically have a group of people around us,” noted David Barrett, executive officer of MySafe:LA. “In order to protect the people we work with, and to ensure the safety of our own people, we will suspend some of our field operations for the time being. We will be looking at alternative methods of outreach, and we encourage everyone to pay attention to State and local directives, as this virus is much more deadly than influenza, and must be taken seriously.”

The World Health Organization (WHO) stated on 11 March 2020 the pandemic could potentially be controlled. The peak and ultimate duration of the outbreak are currently uncertain and may differ by county, State, and in fact Country. Maciej Boni of Penn State University said, “Left unchecked, infectious outbreaks typically plateau and then start to decline when the disease runs out of available hosts. But it’s almost impossible to make any sensible projection right now about when that will be“. On March 17, Adam Kucharski of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine said SARS‑CoV‑2 “is going to be circulating, potentially for a year or two“.