Sheriff policy and COVID

To the Editor:

“Deputies will not be responding to requests for facecoverings, social gatherings … We will be focusing on... preserv[ing] the safety of our community.”

What part of community safety does our sheriff not understand?

Tuolumne County has a sharply increasing COVID infection rate. It is one thing to — correctly — prioritize response to calls, but to actually announce that they won't enforce any Covid-related safety measures is a threat to all of us. It's discouraging to store workers who have now been told no one has their back in trying to keep them and their customers safe from infection. It's an insult to health care workers that sheriffs are unwilling to do their part for a coordinated effort to keep infections to a rate that doesn't overwhelm our small hospital.

San Francisco has among the lowest COVID rates of any urban area in the country. The city has a cooperative community that recognizes the common danger. As a result, hospitalizations are lower, with fewer patients in ICU, fewer on ventilators and, so, fewer deaths.

They also have the strong support of the San Francisco Police Department:

“Stay Safe. Stay Healthy. As the City of San Francisco responds to… Coronavirus... the... SFPD remain steadfast in our commitment to maintain public safety, uphold the law and safeguard the well-being of our city. Our department is working closely with the San Francisco Department of Public Health and our partner public agencies to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.”

Education is the first, second, and third line of defense. Occasionally, though, it takes an officer to make it clear that a last resort is a citation. A rare occurrence, but it absolutely requires the clear backing of our law enforcement community. George Durkee

Twain Harte