California’s governor on Monday declared a state of emergency to speed efforts to combat the monkeypox outbreak, becoming the second state in three days to take the step.
Gavin Newsom said the declaration will help the state co-ordinate a government-wide response, seek more vaccines, and lead outreach and education efforts on where people can get treatment and vaccines.
“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,” the Democratic governor said in a statement.
The move came after a similar declaration in New York state on Saturday and in San Francisco on Thursday. But Newsom’s administration had said as recently as Friday that it was too soon for such a declaration.
After pressing for Newsom to make such a declaration, Democratic state Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco hailed the governor’s decision.
“The monkeypox outbreak is an emergency, and we need to use every tool we have to control it,” Wiener said.