MAMMOTH LAKES – California has placed Mono County on its coronavirus watch list due to an increase in cases at Mammoth Lakes, an outdoor recreation and tourism center in eastern Sierra Nevada.
The increase is largely related to restaurants in the city, the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday.
The state is closely monitoring case numbers and putting counties on the watch list if infections are too high, causing further restrictions in an effort to prevent local health systems from being overwhelmed. More than 30 of the 58 counties are on the list.
Mono County, with around 14,200 residents, has far fewer cases than the state’s main population centers, but 40 people tested positive for the virus in the past two weeks, raising the infection rate to 8.03% and the average for seven days from July 12 to July 19 at 11.32%, the Times said. A person is hospitalized.
In all, 84 people tested positive, including 79 at Mammoth Lakes, and there was one death.
The number of infections is believed to be much higher because many people have not been tested. Studies suggest that people can become infected with the virus without feeling sick.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, that disappear within two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more serious illnesses, such as pneumonia and death.
Restaurants have connected to 65% of new confirmed cases, according to the county.
The coronavirus has an incubation period of up to 14 days, so some of the dates may increase for the Independence Day holiday. But the authorities do not designate that period exclusively.
“We do not believe that July 4 was a primary catalyst, only a considerable number of visitors seeking comfort in the Eastern Sierra,” public information officer Stuart Brown told the Times.
Restaurant workers will now have to wear personal protective equipment, such as surgical masks or N95s, instead of simple cloth face liners, at least 30% of employees must undergo a test between July 22 and 28 July, and all must be examined before each shift.
Failure to comply will lead to orders closing establishments beginning with a 72-hour period and lengthening for repeated violations.
Other California counties are trying to take a bite out of public health orders as hospitalizations and positive tests for coronavirus continue to rise in many parts of the state.
Elsewhere, California State Parks banned public parking on the narrow Yankee Jims Road in the middle of the golden country of Placer County within the Auburn State Recreation Area to reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19 after the waves powered by social networks in the number of visitors.
Last weekend, more than 300 vehicles were parked in an area with legal space for only 12. In addition to virus concerns, authorities raised emergency access issues, especially in the event of a fire in the area at about 40 miles (64 kilometers) northeast of Sacramento.
A similar multitude of trails and wilderness areas has occurred elsewhere during the pandemic as people seek outlets for activity. In Los Angeles County, for example, reservations are now required to enter the popular Eaton Canyon in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains.
On Wednesday, California overtook New York as the state with the most confirmed cases. Another 12,000 cases were added Thursday, bringing the state total to 425,000. The 157 deaths reported Wednesday marked the highest daily total in the state.
