Newsom’s Roadmap to Reopen California Marks Major Pivot for SLED Market

KEY TAKEAWAYS

As detailed below, the top purchasing needs to meet key goals and indicators will be…

• Data systems and analytics to trace contacts, inventory medical supplies, keep tabs on those in isolation and inform future pandemic responses
• Rapid health/public safety response for outbreaks in public and private group facilities
• Expanded facilities and blended work/learning environments to accommodate ongoing social distancing
• Additional/modified mass transit with more routine cleaning
• Laboratory testing capacity and university R&D activities

On Tuesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) announced his roadmap of six indicators that he will use when considering modifications to “stay-at-home and other orders during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

His roadmap is designed to meet four key outcomes as follow:

• Ensure our ability to care for the sick within our hospitals;
• Prevent infection in people who are at high risk for severe disease;
• Build the capacity to protect the health and well-being of the public; and
• Reduce social, emotional and economic disruptions

The six indicators are as follow [with analyst commentary in brackets]:

1. The ability to monitor and protect our communities through testing, contact tracing, isolating, and supporting those who are positive or exposed;
   [This will require significant investments in state laboratory capacity, potential Bluetooth contact-tracing solutions, and a system to keep tabs on those in isolation and in need of special support services.]
2. The ability to prevent infection in people who are at risk for more severe COVID-19;
   [The state will need to track potentially millions of “older Californians and the medically vulnerable living in their own homes” and develop rapid containment/mitigation strategies in facilities “housing older Californians, those living with disabilities, those currently incarcerated, and those with co-morbidities.”]
3. The ability of the hospital and health systems to handle surges;
   [This might require the ability to inventory and allocate resources such as beds, PPEs, and ventilators throughout the state.]
4. The ability to develop therapeutics to meet the demand;
   [Expect the state’s major research universities to be engaged in local, regional, and national public/private research efforts.]
5. The ability for businesses, schools, and child care facilities to support physical distancing; and
   [Health checking (e.g., temperature) will be required upon entry to public facilities.  Additional space—possibly temporary annexes—will be required to accommodate social distancing as well as blended environment with on-premises activities combined with distance learning, telehealth, and remote work for students, citizens, and employees in isolation. Also, routine disinfecting will be a necessity.  Additional and/or modified mass transit capacity and enhanced cleaning/decontamination will be necessary to support any return to public transportation.]
6. The ability to determine when to reinstitute certain measures, such as the stay-at-home orders, if necessary.
   [Pandemic analytics based upon the Bluetooth tracking, medical inventories, and other data will be required to provide just-in-time directives that shut down and reopen geographies and populations with a minimum of socio-economic disruption.]