OFFICIAL SURGE RESIDENTS TO DO THEIR PART FOR HEALTH
Butte County is at risk of landing on the state’s coronavirus watch list
OROVILLE » Butte County has so far avoided being added to the statewide watch list for worsening coronavirus trends — a list that now includes 30 counties that make up approximately 80% of the state’s population.
However, county officials issued words of caution to residents during a press conference at the Butte County Health Department on Tuesday afternoon, stressing the importance of staying off the list.
Like the rest of California, Butte County saw a number of businesses close Monday following a statewide order from Gov. Gavin Newsom. Businesses affected are dine-in restaurants, wineries, movie theaters, family entertainment centers, including bowling alleys, miniature golf, batting cages and arcades, as well as zoos, museums and card rooms.
Bars, breweries and brewpubs are also ordered to close both indoor and outdoor operations, unless they offer food options in an outdoor, dine-in setting.
Yet even more businesses will be impacted if Butte County were to be placed on the monitoring list. The California Department of Public Health uses six metrics to measure each county’s COVID-19 situation, known as the County Data Monitoring chart. Currently, Butte County is averaging 111.3 tests per day, which is belowthe state’s requirement of 150.
That metric alone isn’t enough to put Butte County on the list, but the county is hovering around another trend, case rates over a 14- day period. The state threshold is 100 cases per 100,000 residents. Butte County was averaging 85.4 cases as of Tuesday. One day earlier, the county was at 89 cases, its highest average to date, according to Danette York, Butte County Public Health Director.
“If Butte County does get added to the monitoring list, we will be forced to roll back
more businesses and activities,” York said. “In addition, all of these state-mandated rollbacks are in place until further notice. Butte County does not have the authority to open back up. It takes a state action.”
Butte County Chief Adminstrative Officer Shari McCracken further addressed the local versus state authority as it pertains to themonitoring list. McCracken offered a hypothetical example of bars, saying that if the county determined these businesses were a hot spot for transmission of the virus, it would have the authority to issue a local order to close that specific sector of business.
Counties no longer have that authority upon being placed on the statewide list.
Danette York, Butte County Public Health director, wears a mask as she talks to the press Tuesday in Oroville.
“Once we’re on the monitoring list, there’s no surgical way of saying, ‘ This is where the problem is, let’s just shut that down.’ Everything on the state list shuts down,” McCracken said. “The state does the order and we (the county) can’t reopen any of those ( businesses) until the state tells us we can.”
“And that was a recent
change, as of yesterday ( Monday), that if you get on the statemonitoring list, you don’t get off, no matter what metric you meet,” York added. “You don’t get off (the list) until the state makes a statewide change.”
McCracken said the county will continue to work with the state to provide resources to local businesses still open that will allow them to operate safely. Complaints of businesses not in compliance with state orders should be forwarded to theCOVID-19 call center at 552-3050. Local law enforcement should not be contacted in these instances, McCracken added.
Backups in testing
In regards to testing, York said the county has met its full capacity, averaging 111.3 tests per day, but that number still falls under the 150 per- day average the state considers adequate.
“We’re at our full capacity, but yet that’s not enough for them (the state),” York said.
Similar to trends emerging across the state asmore people seek to get tested for the virus, Butte County is seeing the demand for testing increase at the local level. The county has one state testing site, called OptumServe, located at the Silver Dollar Fairgrounds in Chico.
Testing time slots are currently booked out approximately seven days ahead, adding on to the additional few days it takes to receive results of the test. York asked residents to remain patient as the county responds to the increased demand for testing.
York also mentioned a number of other places to get tests, such as CVS Pharmacy and Ampla Health, but said those sites are experiencing a similar surge.
“All of the testing capacity throughout the county and even the state is experiencing that same backlog,” York said. “If you need a test, sign up early so that you can get your appointment, and then be patient for the results.”
Residents asked to help
Both Cracken
York and Mcclosed their addresses by asking residents to do their part in hopes of staying off the state monitoring list, which will allow more local businesses to remain open.
They reiterated similar guidelines discussed over the past several months, including wearing face coverings, maintaining social distancing of at least six feet, staying home if sick and avoiding gatherings.
“I know I sound like a broken record — we all do — after months of these messages,” McCracken said, “but I cannot stress enough that each of us must individually make a decision to do what we need to do so that our local businesses can remain open.”
“If not for yourself, do it for your family, your neighbors and local business owners,” York said.