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As Kern County heads for another major wave of COVID-19 cases, enforcement of state rules and guidelines, meant to protect public health and stop transmission of the virus, appears to be at best be scarce locally.
A Kern County supervisor went so far as to promise business owners last week that the county would not implement certain state warrants that recently took effect.
“If you’re a restaurant and want to operate indoors, the county won’t force you not to,” District 3 supervisor Mike Maggard said, addressing a group of protesting restaurateurs. against restrictions on indoor meals. Kern was moved to the state’s most restrictive purple reopening level nearly two weeks ago, which only allows alfresco dining at restaurants.
The county will also not notify the state of companies it knows are breaking mandates and rules, Maggard said.
Local pediatrician Dr Namisha Amin said she did not agree with Maggard’s statements and hoped executives and business leaders understand that actions that contribute to the spread of the virus have a bearing. wider impact than some might think.
“I just hope our community does what needs to be done to bring our numbers down,” said Amin, who is particularly concerned about the impact of the pandemic on children who cannot go to school. “Tens of thousands of children here have yet to see their classrooms and our behavior now is what will determine their academic performance for the remainder of the school year.”
In a Facebook video last week, one of many to offer advice and scientific information on the pandemic, she said, “We are losing more Americans at a rate of 1,100 to 1,300 a day (at cause of COVID-19). So when we talk about how we love this country so much, which I don’t understand is why we don’t all try to take care of our countrymen because we all have to do it if we want to change the trajectory of this pandemic. “
Their differing views beg the question of how to balance competing approaches to the pandemic amid a second spike in cases in Kern. For months, some businesses and restaurants in Kern have continued to operate outdoors in violation of state orders without repercussions. But it was one thing to make this happen when cases had fallen to a low point in recent months and another as cases now soar dramatically.
New cases of the virus in Kern have averaged around 300 per day last week and are only expected to increase further. Hospitalizations have increased 127% in the past two weeks, from 63 patients with COVID-19 to 143, according to the most recent data from states and counties.
According to a California Department of Public Health model that predicts the disease trajectory by county, cases in Kern are increasing at a rate where the capacity of local hospitals will be exceeded in four weeks, on December 25, with more than 300 patients. hospitalized for COVID-19. . More than 75 county residents are expected to die by Christmas.
With that in mind, is it fair for the government to tell people what they can and cannot do? Should our public health institutions and local law enforcement take an active role in trying to stop the spread of the disease? Do Americans have a duty to protect each other by deliberately restricting their own activities? Is it more important to help businesses or to bring children back to school?
The larger institutions are also grappling with the same questions. Just as the United States Supreme Court ruled last week in favor of religious groups challenging New York State’s pandemic restrictions, Pope Francis wrote a column in the New York opinion section. Times last week berating those who put personal freedoms above the well. -being of others.
“With few exceptions, governments have gone to great lengths to put the well-being of their people first, taking decisive action to protect health and save lives …” the Pope wrote. “Yet some groups have protested, refusing to keep their distance, marching against travel restrictions – as if the measures governments must impose for the good of their people constitute some kind of political aggression against autonomy or freedom. personal freedom! Looking to the common good is more than the sum of what is good for individuals. It means having respect for all citizens and seeking to respond effectively to the needs of the most deprived. “
On Wednesday, in the aftermath of the restaurateurs protests, Maggard expanded on his comments on state restrictions, saying he felt individuals should make decisions for themselves.
“Can the governor tell you that you cannot worship, can the governor tell you to make a decision that will bankrupt your business and can the governor tell you that you cannot meet at home with your family?” He asked. “I think individuals have to make their own decision. I am careful in my life but I am not the governor’s police and I will not act as a police force.
His opinion resonates with a lot.
Sheriff Donny Youngblood had said early on he would not enforce regulations limiting religious services or requiring them to be held outdoors, and Youngblood recently said MPs would not respond to complaints from groups of people rallying or violating a statewide curfew. Across the state, many sheriffs have made similar announcements.
Maggard said it was the responsibility of local officials to remind people what the decrees are.
“Frankly, after that, the answer is up to the individual and the business owner,” Maggard said. He also noted that the Oversight Board had gone to great lengths to ensure the hospital’s capacity is available, authorizing $ 12 million to pay for additional staff if needed.
But Amin noted in the video posted to his Facebook page that relying on hospitals and medical staff is a false sense of security, as they are likely to become overwhelmed in the face of relentless growth in the number of cases. Speaking of the many advances that have been made in treating coronavirus patients that have effectively lowered death rates, she said: “But we have to remember that our death rate is only as good as our access to health care that is functional and not overwhelmed. So if we start to push the boundaries, all of these wonderful treatments become totally useless if we cannot access them. That is why these actions are so important right now.
As late as August, she noted, local hospitals were struggling to staff hospital beds. And in some places in the United States right now, she said, nurses who are COVID-19 positive but asymptomatic are being asked to work with patients with COVID-19 because health systems have been so overwhelmed.
Kern County Director of Public Health Matt Constantine acknowledged that the county’s understanding of its own role in the pandemic had “evolved over time.”
“As we understand what the state can do and what we can do, we have found that some approaches are more productive than others,” Constantine said.
From the start, the county set up a call center to answer questions about what is and is not allowed under state orders. A lot of time has been spent working with businesses to understand what restrictions apply and what is considered essential. His office has worked with schools and businesses and even the county election service to advise on proper procedures to prevent the spread of the virus.
But the public health department does not actively check whether companies or other groups and establishments are complying, nor does it investigate when it receives a complaint, he said.
And a map on the ministry’s website where the public could flag companies that did not comply with state orders has been removed.
The county previously forwarded a list of businesses it had received complaints about to the state, which deploys statewide strike teams, but the county is no longer forwarding that list, Constantine said. Communication with the state has been difficult throughout the pandemic, he said.
The protocol for responding to public complaints is now to simply send the company an initial letter advising them of the current restrictions.
Constantine further noted that his office does not have the power to cite or amend individuals or companies; only law enforcement can.
But other countries are enforcing state ordinances, especially on businesses that refuse to adhere to state guidelines on COVID-19.
San Diego County officials recently announced that they will begin fining companies that break orders. Los Angeles County is doing the same. Even the small community of Firebaugh, Fresno County, uses code enforcement officers to check whether restaurants are complying with state regulations, according to a recent report by Valley Public Radio, KVPR.
Joe Alindajao, city councilor and acting mayor of Delano, said he came up with a mask mandate at the start of the pandemic, an experiment which he said highlighted the problem with the app. The proposal was rejected by other council members and city staff, he said, and was ultimately not passed.
City staff and the police department were concerned about fining people and businesses that were already in financial difficulty and were also concerned about clashes that could result from the application of a mask warrant.
He is now convinced that the best approach is for the city to partner with churches and community groups to do education and awareness.
“This is a sensitive issue. It is not as clear as using a seat belt or not using a cell phone while driving. We can see the clear implications of practicing this kind of behavior,” did he declare.
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