Will SLO County shelter in place over coronavirus? Here’s how local officials decide
Update, 2:45 p.m. The County of San Luis Obispo in partnership with all seven local city governments issued an executive order for all people to shelter in home starting tomorrow.
“We made this decision to preserve our health care system and ensure that we have the capacity to care for the sickest of the sick during this pandemic,” County Emergency Services Director Wade Horton said in a prepared statement issued at a press conference Wednesday afternoon.
Read more: SLO County orders residents to shelter in place to slow coronavirus outbreak
Original story:
Several counties in California announced “shelter in place” orders this week, directing people to stay in their homes away from other people to limit the spread of coronavirus, leaving residents in San Luis Obispo County to ask: When will our response be more aggressive?
That’s up to Dr. Penny Borenstein, the Public Health officer who is leading the county’s response during this emergency. At a county Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday, she explained how she makes decisions about the county’s response efforts to mitigate the spread of the virus in our region.
“I want to be clear that our situation in San Luis Obispo County is not the same as Santa Clara (County). It is not the same as Orange County, or other places where everybody looks to,” Borenstein said. “We have been moving as fast and aggressively as we think that we need to in response to the science-based recommendations regarding these measures. We are reacting daily and hourly to the changes coming before us.”
The orders and guidance communicated out from county Public Health are often directives from the state or federal level. Some are mandatory, some are suggestions.
Residents call for shelter-in-place order
Several residents say they want a shelter-in-place order issued, to protect the health and safety of the community and the larger region.
Resident Jamie Maraviglia said she was concerned the county was moving too slowly.
“We need to be proactive, not reactive. We should follow the lead of other counties and issue a shelter-in-place immediately. Too many people are going about their daily lives,” Maraviglia told The Tribune.
Resident Jamie Bruzenak agreed. She said she cares about and loves many vulnerable people in her life, and she’s worried for them and everyone else’s health, as well.
“I don’t think many people are taking this seriously. I don’t think people at the local, state and federal level are taking the advice of epidemiologists to shelter in place,” she said.
“I understand the severity of the situation. Following the numbers; math doesn’t lie. This a matter of life and death,” Bruzenak told The Tribune in a phone interview. “This is a serious thing. I don’t want anyone to suffer. I don’t want medical staff to be overwhelmed and exhausted.”
Borenstein said there is good guidance documents from Public Health for every sector: hospitals, housing and homeless, universities and schools. And in many instances, “the community has asked for more aggressive guidelines than experts have laid out.”
The county issued an order Monday prohibiting alcohol sales through Wednesday afternoon at bars and restaurants to reduce spread of the virus at potential St. Patrick’s Day celebrations that often gather large crowds.
On Wednesday, the city of San Luis Obispo took that a step further, ordering all bars, breweries and wine-tasting venues to close to the public. Production facilities not open to customers were excluded. All restaurants also were ordered closed for indoor or outdoor dining. Only pickup and delivery is allowed.
Another order signed Tuesday directs county staff to immediately install an onsite medical clinic at the Sheriff’s Office on Kansas Avenue.
President Donald Trump issued guidelines Monday calling for Americans to avoid gatherings of more than 10 people and limit discretionary travel.
Governor Gavin Newsom on Sunday asked Californians 65 and older and those with compromised immune systems to self-isolate, then requested that restaurants close dining rooms and switch to takeout or delivery options.
Since then, seven counties in the Bay Area have issued shelter-in-place orders, directing people to only leave their home for essential business and activities. Homeless residents are exempt. Monterey County issued a similar order Wednesday.
How county is communicating with public
County Administrative Officer Wade Horton said the county is “trying to be transparent in decisions,” with new daily calls with the mayors of all seven cities in the county, as well as with the Office of Education, Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong, the Chamber of Commerce and Cuesta Community College.
In addition, Public Health staff participates in informational calls with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention twice a week, the California Department of Public Health three times a week, and with the Southern California Health Officers Region.
Borenstein and Horton declared a county state of emergency on March 13, giving them authority to issue orders and regulations meant to protect life in the face of the spread of coronavirus. The board on Tuesday ratified the declarations, extending them beyond seven days and up to 30 days.
“I know this is scary,” Supervisor Lynn Compton said Tuesday. “I have full confidence this community is going to pull together. We always have in the past with recent fires and earthquakes, etc. ... There are a lot of people working to keep this community safe in the event that the situation gets worse, and to provide services to people in need and keep our essential services going.”
Supervisor Bruce Gibson said he is maintaining an attitude of “being concerned, but not fearful.”
“That’s the message that I’d like to get to the public. We have some significant challenges ahead of us, but I think working with our health experts and working through our elected officials, we’re going to get through this if we pay attention.”
Visit ReadySLO.org for the latest Public Health updates and recommendations, or call the Public Health information line at 805-788-2903.
This story was originally published March 18, 2020 at 12:59 PM.
