Preventing resumption in California virus case

Kathleen Ronein and Brian Mary Associated Press

Sacramento, California — The first California county to return to the reopening plan was a remote outpost with no known cases of coronaviruses, rather than the urban areas that fueled the resumption or the coastal areas that attracted crowds of beaches. .. last week.

All it took was a single infection that spread to four other people in front of Lassen County, where 30,000 people live in the pine-covered mountains and high deserts of Northern California. I canceled the resume command. Dining in restaurants, in-store shopping, haircuts and religious services are prohibited for at least 7 days.

Some companies had to close after rehiring staff, disinfecting equipment, and training on worker hygiene.

Barbara Longo, the county’s director of health and social welfare, said that in a border county in Nevada, residents who traveled outside the county until May 22 and had a positive illness report no cases of coronavirus. Told.

A small team of 11 nurses and other health department employees worked on holiday weekends, tracking everyone who had contact with the infected, having them tested, and including all of their spouses. The first patient who led to the additional case of.

A few more people who came in contact with the first infected were ordered to stay home for two weeks, the COVID-19 incubation period, even if they were negative.

On Tuesday evening, the county informed companies that were allowed to resume two weeks ago to return to providing takeout food or curbside pickups.

“We are at risk of viruses getting into the community from people visiting and living in infected areas outside the county,” said County public health official Dr. Kenneth Cover. We were fully aware of the health order. “Unfortunately, this has happened, and now we have serious problems.”

Lassen Ale Works Boardroom bartender Kim Adair said the setback was tough, but they were still brewing and selling beer growers, bottles of beer, and food.

“We were only open for a week and then closed down,” Adair said. “This is a great place for everyone to visit. Everyone was itchy. But this is all a learning curve right now as this has never been before in our lives.”

As of Wednesday afternoon, the county had only five cases — all spread from the first infected person to the community.

Before the first incident was discovered, the county demanded a more extensive inspection, despite resistance from the population. According to Longo, the town’s radio station conducted an informal survey and said more than 9 in 10 listeners would not be tested.

Longo said the only reason the incident wasn’t happening is to dispel rumors that no one wants to take the test, as it could lead to longer shutdowns.

After agreeing to provide the state with 20,000 tests, the county almost doubled the test in three days by installing a drive-through site at Lassen Community College. None of the about 425 tested there last week returned positive, but about half of those results are still pending. There were no known cases in any of the three state prisons in the area.

The county has begun its resumption of operations on May 11 under state guidance setting less than one limit per 10,000 inhabitants over the past two weeks. Lassen County has exceeded its limit in three or more cases. There is no death or hospitalization.

In many rural and northern counties of California, there were few cases of coronavirus, and it was one of the first to get state approval to resume operations. Forty-seven of the 58 counties in the state, including Lassen, are expected to resume more quickly with state approval. They can get their approval based on hospitalization, positive test rate, or total number of cases, but they must submit a plan that describes what to do if an outbreak occurs.

Lassen is currently the first county to revoke a proof of a safe resumption, but braking the return to so-called normal is not alone.

Humboldt County on the North Coast of California was one of the first to authorize the opening of restaurants, taking a more cautious approach after the surge of incidents and the deaths of the first two. Sonoma County said on Wednesday it would delay resumption after a recent surge of events.

Los Angeles County, which has more than half of the COVID-19 deaths statewide, has signaled that it is being called on to move forward.

Taking a more cautious approach, San Francisco barred Thursday that it allowed outdoor dining and indoor shopping, religious services and sporting events without spectators as of June 15, and reopening in mid-July. He said he would give it to the shop and the beauty salon. He said he would still need a mask or face cover outside the house, even during exercise.