Stop threats against California’s public health officers
Bay Area physicians commend our county public health officers for their incredible leadership. Their early decision to implement shelter-at-home orders saved an estimated 20,000 lives in the Bay Area.
This was not an easy decision but one that needed to be made. Had they acted too late, we could have found ourselves in the tragic position of managing a surge of COVID-19 patients without enough infrastructure and resources. Difficult choices had to be made to prevent people from dying unnecessarily.
We have avoided a tragic outcome so far because our public health officers acted early. Their actions saved thousands of lives. Our public health officers are heroes.
Unfortunately, the very people who worked hard to protect us are now being threatened. Our public health officers have come under political attack, facing death threats and protests outside their homes for doing their jobs. At least eight public health officers across the state have left their posts during the coronavirus pandemic.
Health officers have reported acts of intimidation, including here in the Bay Area. The problem has gotten so bad that a fellow physician, state Sen. Richard Pan, D-Sacramento, has put forward legislation (Senate Bill 483) to shield public health officers’ home addresses from the public. That we need a bill to protect noble civil servants from harassment is a sad commentary on our state of affairs.
County public health officers are appointed to protect the public health. They have the legal authority to make independent decisions based on science and data precisely to protect them from the political whims of elected politicians and from online bullies. These doctors doing their jobs have saved thousands of lives.
As physicians, we care deeply about human suffering. We understand the hardships that this pandemic has caused and we appreciate the need to recover and return to normal as quickly as possible.
People are out of work, having a hard time feeding their families, delaying routine medical and dental care and are worried about how they are going to pay for housing. Families and friends have been unable to gather, to hug one another, to celebrate and grieve together. Communities of faith have been unable to worship together in person. Children have been unable to attend school.
We recognize the sacrifices that are being made by everyone in our community to remain healthy in this uncertain time. We are all eager for a return to normalcy, but the science and data tell us that the coronavirus is an increasing threat to our community.
Bay Area counties have seen a concerning rise in the number of cases. COVID-19-related hospitalizations recently have increased by more than 50%. As a result, Gov. Gavin Newsom and local health officials have paused plans to reopen until we can get a better handle on this outbreak.
The only way to reduce transmission and return to normal is to work together. Every one of us has an individual responsibility to our community to protect one another, exercise caution and keep people healthy. Most people are dutifully wearing face coverings when outside their homes, engaging in good hand washing hygiene and maintaining social distancing.
Public health officers don’t deserve to be threatened or harassed for doing their duty and keeping our communities safe. This pandemic is affecting all our lives. Let’s get through this by working together, not against each other.