Washington: California’s governor has declared a state of emergency to speed up anti-monkeypox efforts, becoming the second state in the country in three days to take the step, Khaleej Times reported on Tuesday.
Governor Gavin Newsom said that the step was taken to help California coordinate a government-wide response, seek more vaccines, and lead outreach and education efforts on where people could get treatment and vaccination.
“We’ll continue to work with the federal government to secure more vaccines, raise awareness about reducing risk, and stand with the LGBTQ community-fighting stigmatization,” Newsom said in a statement announcing his declaration.
Nearly 800 cases of monkeypox have been reported in California, according to state public health officials.
The declaration in California came after a similar one in New York state on Saturday, and in San Francisco on Thursday.
