Orange County Declares Coronavirus Emergency, Fights Transfer of Infected Patients

American citizens wave from a bus as they leave the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship at Daikoku Pier to be repatriated to the United States on Feb. 17, 2020, in Yokohama, Japan. Some passengers who have tested positive for coronavirus may be transferred to a facility in Costa Mesa, Calif. Carl Court/Getty Images

SANTA ANA, Calif.—Orange County officials declared a local health emergency on Feb. 26 in response to a potential coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

The county only has one confirmed case of coronavirus so far, but the county has been fighting the transfer of 30–50 coronavirus-positive patients to a local facility for quarantine.