Californians calling 911 on coughing neighbors becomes the norm as concern of the spreading of the fatal coronavirus epidemic continues unabated.
Rationality and irrationality have begun to merge in a surreal world as panic continues to permeate American society as coronavirus mayhem and inertia become the over-riding thread of consciousness.
Case in point- Southern California where multiple police agencies have told of reported heightened instances of residents calling 911 if they hear their neighbors talk. Life it seems has become beyond life or death.
The phone calls have increased concurrently with the number of coronavirus cases in Riverside and San Bernardino County, the Desert Sun reported.
Come Monday, Sgt. Mike Casavan of the Palm Springs Police Department said dispatchers had received at least five calls in the past week complaining of ‘coughing neighbors’. Police Cmdr. Paul Herrera of neighboring Cathedral City said dispatchers have received similar calls.
Dispatchers have been instructed to ask each caller whether the person they were calling about had recently returned from a trip abroad. As the outbreak which seemingly has no end in sight and continues to infect more Americans with 9464 recorded cases and 155 deaths, operators have also now been instructed to ask callers whether the person has had contact with someone who has tested positive for the coronavirus.
Paramedics to date have been dispatched to provide necessary medical attention before transporting the person to a hospital, the Desert Sun reported.
Neil Gallucci, chief of the Carlsbad Police Department, said the coronavirus has made authorities extra vigilant to avoid a scenario in which a coronavirus patient infects a first responder who then spreads the infection to other first responders.
‘If that happens enough, we worry about calls for service,’ he said. ‘We’re prepared to deal with issues that come up, but it’s a concern chiefs worry about.’
Welcome to a brave new California America ….
