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Each of us can be helpful in fighting the spread of COVID-19, a virus which is more contagious and appears to be more lethal than the seasonal flu.
On March 10, the Board of Supervisors passed an emergency declaration responding to the COVID-19 virus and our Health Department issued guidance for social distancing. For the latest information from our County Health Services, please bookmark this page --
coronavirus.cchealth.org
On March 11, the California Department of Public Health issued statewide guidance on social distancing.
On March 12, Governor
Newsom issued an Executive Order to respond to the emergency which recognized the authority of local public health officials to issue their own guidance.
Contra Costa's guidance is more far-reaching and restrictive than that issued by the State because the Bay Area is at the epicenter of the outbreak in California and we are seeing greater community spread of the virus than many other parts of the State.
This afternoon, West Contra Costa Unified School District announced that all its schools will be closed from March 16 through April 3, with instruction through "Distance Learning" during the first two weeks.
I've summarized below the details of the State and County Health guidelines regarding social distancing and "gatherings" as they apply in Contra Costa:
- Cancel or postpone large gatherings such as concerts, sporting events, celebrations, conventions, religious services and community events where 50 or more people are within arm's length of each other. (The State's guideline of cancelling events of 250 or more applies to other areas of California).
- Look for new larger venues, or cancel or postpone smaller gatherings of 50 or fewer people planned for spaces that do not allow social distancing of six feet per person.
- Cancel or postpone events for, or attended by, older adults (age 50 and above) and those with underlying medical conditions.
These guidelines
do not apply to public transportation, airport travel, or shopping at a store/mall.
Those most at risk include:
- Those 50 years or older with the highest risk group being those 80 years and older
- People of any age who have underlying medical problems such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, or chronic lung disease, and those who are immunocompromised.
Following these guidelines to reduce close contact of people have proven effective in prior pandemics in slowing transmission rates and reducing illness and death.
By reducing the spread of COVID-19 we can:
- Reduce the number of people who contract COVID-19 before an effective treatment or vaccine is available
- Protect those most likely to experience severe symptoms (the elderly or those with underlying chronic conditions)
- Preserve and protect our health care system (which could become overwhelmed by an increasing number of individuals seeking medical care)
- Minimize the social and economic impacts of this new virus
As many medical experts have said, our efforts can "flatten the curve" so the infections grow more slowly and allow us time to successfully deal with this novel virus.
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