Just when many people thought it was safe to go back out … San Diego County reached the so-called “trigger” – or at least one of them – that could require public health officials to retract decisions that allowed a variety of businesses, parks and activities to reopen or restart.
County officials on Thursday reported that there are now eight community outbreaks that had occurred in the seven-day period from Thursday, June 11, through Wednesday, June 17. Sufficient to trip the trigger.
This was going on just as California Governor Newsom announced a statewide order requiring everyone to wear a mask in most indoor settings and outside when maintaining a physical distance from others is not feasible.
The order was necessary, Newsom said, because too many people were venturing out in public with no masks. The order requires people to wear face coverings in most indoor public settings, including while they wait in line for public transportation services or to enter a business.
It DOES NOT APPLY to people who are eating at a restaurant while maintaining a 6 foot distance from others – or for people engaged in recreational activities like swimming, hiking, running and biking.
It is not clear whether violators will be ticketed or fined or how the order will be enforced.
Back in San Diego, officials including Dr. Wilma Wooten, the county’s public health officer, announced the new and total number of “community outbreaks”; community outbreaks are clusters of cases that occur outside congregate living facilities such as nursing homes, and are one of three immediate red flags that require Wooten to consider modifying her existing public health order.
Seven such epidemiological events in seven consecutive days is the threshold set weeks ago for immediate public action and is among 13 different triggers collectively designed to serve as a kind of canary in the coal mine that the SARS-COV-2 virus is starting to spread more rapidly in the community.
From the San Diego U-T:
County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher said that in light of tripping the trigger, the county will take three actions: Pause further implementation of state guidance allowing additional types of businesses or activities to reopen beyond those planning to open Friday (nail salons, spas, tattoo parlors), step up targeted enforcement of specific entities not complying with the public health order and continue to remind the public of the seriousness of following the orders to protect public health.
The news surfaced just one day after the county said that the total number of community outbreaks in the past seven days stood at six.
It turned out, though, that even as officials were delivering that total during a regularly-scheduled news conference Wednesday, the county epidemiology department was actively investigating three more. Though one turned out not to meet the official definition of an outbreak — three or more confirmed cases from different households contracted in the same location — the additional two were enough to officially meet the threshold.
According to the County, here is the list of the number of outbreaks associated with each category of activity:
- Nine outbreaks at “various health/medical service offices”
- Five outbreaks at “manufacturing and repair facilities”
- One outbreak at a “resort hotel”
- Five outbreaks at “food processing facilities”
- Two outbreaks at restaurants
- One outbreak at a “landscape company”
- One outbreak at an apartment building
- Three outbreaks at “private residences,” which include a barbecue and a party
- One outbreak at a business park
- One outbreak at a grocery store
- One outbreak from a ski trip
- One outbreak at an out-of-county bachelor party
U-T:
Of the eight outbreaks reported in the last seven days, the biggest had four or five cases, Wooten said. She said no deaths had been associated with any of the eight outbreaks.The two outbreaks confirmed Wednesday and announced Thursday were at a campground and a “social club,” according to county officials. …
Throughout the entire months-long pandemic, the public health department had recorded a total of 39 community outbreaks as of Wednesday. While some, like a group ski trip out of state, have a tinge of the exotic, most, like a grouping of infections at an unnamed manufacturing plant, are right there in the mainline of daily life.
Each takes the work of county contact tracers and public health investigators working diligently to interview each person who tests positive, building a list of close contacts and branching out to ask all affected to self quarantine for two weeks. Wooten said Thursday that it can take the county three or more days to identify an outbreak.
A total of 417 cases and 6 deaths were attributed to the 39 community outbreaks, according to the county’s data. Of the 39 outbreaks, 16 were active as of Wednesday, while the others had been closed after two weeks without any new positive tests.
Meanwhile, California officials reported Thursday 4,084 new coronavirus cases that were confirmed on Wednesday, a record-high single-day increases in cases as more people get tested. Most of the new cases came from Los Angles County, which reported 2,115.
PLUS See this:
New UCSD study: Wearing masks significantly curbs spread of COVID-19
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
It’s all well and good to list what kinds of places are adding to the statistics – but it would be even more helpful to know WHERE those places are. For example,
Nine outbreaks at “various health/medical service offices”- I have an appointment at Sharp. Is that where they took place?
Five outbreaks at “manufacturing and repair facilities” – I need to take in my vacuum for repair. Where were these outbreaks?
One outbreak at a “resort hotel” – Are my guests going to be exposed and then come see me?
Five outbreaks at “food processing facilities” – Where? In San Diego?
Two outbreaks at restaurants – Which ones?
One outbreak at a “landscape company” – Is my gardener ok?
One outbreak at an apartment building – Where my friends live?
Three outbreaks at “private residences,” which include a barbecue and a party
One outbreak at a business park – CostCo?
One outbreak at a grocery store Which grocery store?
One outbreak from a ski trip
One outbreak at an out-of-county bachelor party
I appreciate the information, but want it all, not just generalities.
The County specifically does not give out the names or locations of business outbreaks, as a policy.
Can you tell that I placed that mask on Gavin’s face?
They are not giving out the specific locations of places where an outbreak occurred in order to encourage those places to actually report them (instead of shaming them). If there is an outbreak at those places it is not simply business as usual. They will go through the same quarantine / sanitation / testing procedures as any other place where this occurs.
Such as Nolita Hall in Little Italy just did.
I went to town Wednesday for the every other week mail pickup, and I was the ONLY person in a mask anywhere on the street, in restaurants, wandering in and out of stores. The only other person I saw was Gail behind the counter in the post office and, since it was empty, I poked my head in to say hello. She said “seal, I’m scared shitless.”
Groups of people sitting at table at the outdoor pizza & beer place next to the 2nd hand I fix furniture at one afternoon a week (2nd hand has a very large sign saying ‘MASKS REQUIRED’ on the front door), and not a single table was any farther from any other more than maybe 3 feet. Clumps of people here and there, wandering in and out of different stores in the couple of blocks I could see that I was skateboarding down, all laughing and talking and just paying absolutely NO ATTENTION to the reality of what a Pandemic means.
It looks like what I’ve seen on the OB surf cam the last couple of weeks except there were zero masks unlike the few I’ve seen on the cam. I’m sorry, are people stupid? Didn’t ANYONE listen when your mother said to not put your hand in the fire???
I drove home, stripped on the porch of hat/clothes/shoes and using gloves dropped them all into a plastic bag and sealed it. Then straight into the shower. The 4Runner is sitting with the windows and tailgate down in the sun, and will stay that way (except for rolling up windows at night) until the next time I have to drive it…probably in two weeks or so.
My retired biologist neighbor has modified his ‘wait until August’ warning. He’s now saying mid-July…
I think I posted this elsewhere but…it’s worth listening to so I will again:
‘We’ve Only Delayed the Day of Reckoning’
https://bradblog.com/?p=13454
Guest: Univ. of Arizona infectious disease epidemiologist Dr. Purnima Madhivana on AZ’s ‘crisis mode’ surge in COVID cases, state officials’ deadly denial since prematurely reopening, and ‘believing in science’…
sealintheSelkirks
seal, since you very often post links to articles that support your view, I thought I’d throw an interesting one your way. https://in-this-together.com/face-masks/
Did he say how soon we should expect armed “civilian militias” (or in laymens terms f**king assholes) to show up to fight for America’s freedom”?
Geoff: Wow. Face masks to keep the spread of SARS II/CoV-19 down equals collapse and the globalist takeover (from 1st commenter). How impressive is that?
As if the take-over by corporations/globalists hasn’t already happened! Remember that a faceless corporation owned by very VERY wealthy people is a LEGAL person, so those that make all the vicious and criminal decisions made by said corporations can’t be prosecuted. Sounds just like qualified immunity for murderous cops, doesn’t it? Only the corporation can be charged and since it actually isn’t a person, it can never be put in jail for its crimes. Just ‘fine’ that non-physical body of that ‘person’ instead of being horribly punished by a society that is murderously vicious with its revenge towards its own citizens in that regard.
Read the so-called ‘free’ trade deals and the WTO mission statement and the ability of corporations (not those wealthy globalists who own them) to SUE and WIN against governments that reduce profits due to environmental or any other regulation that doesn’t allow them to ‘maximize’ that profit. The TPP would have really cemented that last into perpetuity… Ain’t Dollar Democracy great?
Seems like wearing masks to prevent the spread of disease isn’t exactly a good comparison to the ‘destruction of democracy’ after all, eh? Especially since we have never lived in a democratically-run country…
Funny that the site this author posts on (offguardian) is one of many I have bookmarked. I look it up when I read an especially nauseating article on the GuardianUK to see if it gets talked about.
Here’s a couple for ya, Geoff:
SARS Lessons Lost
What the United States should have learned from SARS—and blatantly ignored.
http://inthesetimes.com/article/22510/sars-lessons-coronavirus-pandemic-outbreak-covid19-global-health-trump
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Tomgram: William Astore, Living Through Coronavirus Hard Times
https://www.tomdispatch.com/blog/176681/tomgram%3A_william_astore%2C_living_through_coronavirus_hard_times
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And this one is pretty cute:
Ohio Rep. Vitale says God doesn’t approve of face masks and Jewish health director is a ‘globalist’
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/5/4/1942501/-Ohio-Rep-Vitale-says-God-doesn-t-approve-of-face-masks-and-Jewish-Health-Director-is-a-globalist
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All in all, we are not showing much signs of being an intelligent species. Clever, yes, but not really all that smart. Big sigh.
thequeenisalizard: The enforcers have always been out there fighting for ‘democracy.’ They wear official badges and vote conservative and, like the anti-anti-fascists civilians you mention carrying AR15 and confederate flags, are fully supported by the badge-carrying ones that most likely voted for Trump in 2016 and, I’m sure, will again this year….
sealintheSelkirks
And I just HAD to add this one for people to read. And maybe think about?
https://www.moonofalabama.org/2020/06/a-mask-is-not-a-political-statement-its-an-iq-test.html
Enjoy the comments!
sealintheSelkirks
PS: Washington State is now back on masks required just like Cali. Because, you know, it’s all a hoax and a Democrat plot to overthrow Trump and steal the election and let the black people take over and and and… LOTS of AR-15s up here in the hands of the 1% and other nefarious FASCIST thinkers. There was only one cure for Fascists during my two grandpa’s military service era (WWII), and Mussolini and his mistress found that out…but it took a lot of dying first. UGLY history isn’t it? Look up on ebay ‘mussolini picture’ as they’ve got copies for sale…FRAMED!
More for your reading pleasure, Geoff. And from corporate-owned Mainstream Media below instead of those alternative non-corporate news and investigative reporting sites that nobody’s ever heard of. Folks, it isn’t just the damn flu. Read these links:
What they don’t tell you about surviving COVID-19
‘Recovered’ doesn’t mean healthy again
https://www.sfgate.com/news/editorspicks/article/What-they-don-t-tell-you-about-surviving-15347792.php
____________
How Covid-19 can damage the brain
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200622-the-long-term-effects-of-covid-19-infection
Some scientists suspect that Covid-19 causes respiratory failure and death not through damage to the lungs, but the brain – and other symptoms include headaches, strokes and seizures.
___________
And here is my side of Washington State:
‘Don’t be a sheep’: Sheriffs rebel against new statewide mask requirements
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Don-t-be-a-sheep-Sheriffs-rebel-against-new-15368271.php
Hours after Gov. Jay Inslee, D, ordered Washington state residents to cover their faces in public, a Republican sheriff in a rural swath of the state’s southwest suggested they should be doing no such thing.
“Here’s what I say,” Lewis County Sheriff Robert Snaza told the crowd outside a church Tuesday, carrying a megaphone and sporting his green and beige uniform but no face mask. “Don’t be a sheep.”
Few of the people cheering on Snaza covered their faces either, according to video of the scene taken by the Daily Chronicle of Centralia, Wash. Indeed, the words on a billboard above the crowd seemed to capture their feeling about the pandemic: “Oh, no! A virus. Quick – burn the bill of rights.”
article continues at link
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Last thing.
Did anyone hear/read the interview of Rudy Giuliani ex-mayor of NY and Trump’s lawyer ranting about the ridiculous idea of contact tracing SARS II/CoV-19 to reporters? Because there are so many other diseases that kill so many people…like obesity, heart disease, or cancer! He asks her why aren’t we contact tracing them instead of Covid which isn’t killing nearly as many people.
Imagine getting a phone call from the health department because one of your coworkers has come down with…being fat, or congestive heart failure, maybe pancreatic cancer. So you have to be quarentined for…14 days to see if you caught it…oh my f***ing hell.
I’m nearly speechless on that one. How about you?
I will continue to wear a mask, isolate, and be as careful as I possibly can because, even if I don’t die of it, the lifelong repercussions they are just now finding out about that this entirely new unknown disease is doing to people… I hope those reading this will read the above MSM links and THINK before you do.
sealintheSelkirks