In a landmark move, San Mateo County has declared loneliness a public health emergency, the first county in the United States to do so. As ABC7 News reported, the County's Board of Supervisors voted unanimously in favor of the resolution, introduced by Supervisor David Canepa, who highlighted a staggering statistic: "We have 45% of the people who find themselves being lonely, who suffer from loneliness."

This unprecedented step intends to mobilize resources and policy actions to combat the issue that has seen a dramatic rise since the pandemic, a trend also observed nationwide and fueled by COVID-19, according to the country's Surgeon General; in the statement obtained by ABC7 News, Dr. Vivek Murthy said, "This is a problem that has been building for decades in our country COVID certainly worsened it and poured fuel on the fire, But that fire was burning before."

Moreover, Supervisor Canepa is pushing for greater measures, having written to Governor Gavin Newsom to propose the creation of a minister of loneliness position, to spearhead policy and create resources to improve mental and overall health, as per ABC7 News's report. The U.K. and Japan have already adopted similar roles in response to their own national loneliness issues.

The gravity of the loneliness crisis is also emphasized by clinical psychologist Dr. Andrea Zorbas, who pointed out the interconnectedness of mental and physical health during the ABC7 News interview, "If we're feeling depressed we often have stomach pains, or body aches, muscle aches, headaches, migraines, I mean you name it." Offering a glimmer of hope, a new app designed to combat loneliness was mentioned by Scott Budman in a video report by NBC Bay Area, although details of the app's functionality were not expounded upon the story did underscore the growing awareness and technological initiatives being undertaken to tackle the loneliness epidemic.

While recognizing the significance of the county's resolution, Canepa acknowledges it's merely the beginning of something bigger, stressing the need for investment and long-term commitment, he told ABC7 News, "What we want to do is build on that, But we can't build on it if we don't make the investments." As San Mateo County pioneers this initiative, it sets a precedent for other regions to potentially follow suit in addressing this silent crisis infiltrating our modern lives.