Amid a spike in local coronavirus cases and increasing deaths, Sonoma County supervisors are watching, hoping, and hoping for the best before a July 4 weekend that could rally thousands to celebrate on barbecues in the backyard and feast on the coastal and river beaches.
Residents shouldn’t expect new restrictions on public activity this week despite concerns about the recent surge in coronavirus cases, which has returned the highest five totals of single-day cases and 282 cases, a quarter of the county total, in the past 10 days, supervisors said Tuesday.
Contact tracking has connected much of the current increase in cases to large gatherings over Memorial Day weekend, supervisor Lynda Hopkins said. She and her supervising colleagues are challenging residents to take the necessary precautions to prevent the continued spread of COVID-19.
“My biggest concern right now is the community,” said Hopkins. “I really believe that if we do the right thing, we can stop this disease.”
Susan Gorin, chair of the Board of Supervisors, said that visitors to Sonoma Valley, the leading tourist magnet for her east county district, have not consistently used facial covers. And Hopkins said mask detection has become a kind of grim game among her family.
“My children and I have been playing the game ‘How many people wear a mask?’ ” she said. “And it’s often less than half.”
Hopkins said he understands it. People want to go back to normal. It is a powerful wish, she said. But she and her supervising colleagues say she threatens to skew the path of the county’s low workload, built through early shelter-in-place restrictions that shut down much of the local economy, of course.
Supervisor David Rabbitt said some of the setbacks can be attributed to human nature, but urged residents, including youth, not to let their guard down.
Zane went further and urged caution against “human arrogance.”
“This is science, and this is life or death,” Zane said. “We should be humble.”
Zane and Gorin said they agreed with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s decision to close bars in seven California counties, and Gorin called the move “responsible.” But no county supervisor expected Sonoma County to do the same, and Gorin said he would not support that measure locally.
“I would like to encourage us not to consider closing before the weekend of July 4, but I am really going to pay attention to the number of COVID cases we are seeing, where the cases are coming from and how that is affecting our hospital capacity.” – especially ICU beds, ”said Gorin, adding that he is confident that the county Health Officer, Dr. Sundari Mase, will make the appropriate decision on any reversal of the county’s economic reopening.
Zane also said he was confident that Mase would make the right decision and emphasized that any decision would be made based on science and numbers.
There are a variety of criteria, including case numbers, that could trigger a state review of Sonoma County’s approach to reopening, but Hopkins said that not all cases are created equal. He gave the example of two people who tested positive for coronavirus in Sonoma County. One was in the community for 10 days and had been in close contact with 60 people. Another was tested and quarantined before contacting someone.
Hopkins, whose western county district depends on tourists flocking to the Russian River and Bodega Bay beaches, said he would not support closing those popular tourist destinations without good data.
“I think we need to make decisions based on data,” he said. “Are we seeing transmission on the beaches? If not, why close the beaches? We need to address where the spread is occurring. “
All supervisors felt that residents and visitors could do their part to limit the spread, even if it means staying home the weekend of July 4.
“The first thing is to stay home as long as you can,” said Rabbitt. “If you go out, be sure to follow (the rules); make sure you have your mask and protect yourself and your neighbors. I think if we all did that consistently, we’d be so much better. ”
Supervisor James Gore could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
You can contact staff writer Tyler Silvy at 707-526-8667 or [email protected]. On Twitter @tylersilvy.
