Coronavirus updates: SLO County preps hotels for homeless; schools to stay closed longer
For reasons that aren’t entirely clear, San Luis Obispo County is shaping up to be more of a hotbed of coronavirus cases than its surrounding counties.
As of Friday, San Luis Obispo County had 59 confirmed cases of the coronavirus within its borders, and that number is still likely weeks away from peaking, officials project.
Here’s what local officials are doing to combat the spread of the virus as of Friday, and other coronavirus updates:
SLO County has more coronavirus cases than other counties
San Luis Obispo County has the most confirmed coronavirus cases of any county between Los Angeles and San Jose — even those with significantly larger populations — but it’s not entirely clear why.
As of Thursday, San Luis Obispo County has about 19 confirmed patients per 100,000 people. Santa Barbara County, which had the second-highest number of cases per capita, is home to only seven COVID-19 patients per 100,000 people.
Paso Robles could be a hotspot for COVID 19
Paso Robles is emerging as a hot spot for COVID-19 activity, according to San Luis Obispo County’s public health officer.
Dr. Penny Borenstein shared the projection during a news conference Thursday afternoon while discussing the need for people to try to stay in their neighborhoods to slow the spread of the virus.
Beach parking lots close
Some San Luis Obispo County recreational areas — including campgrounds, a park and beach parking lots — will close over the next few days to encourage residents to stay closer to home and maintain social distancing.
County officials and representatives of seven local cities released a joint statement Thursday noting the need for “physical distancing at parks, beaches and campgrounds in an effort to limit the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) locally.”
No hospital visits, Public Health says
Borenstein issued an order Thursday prohibiting visits to healthcare facilities to protect vulnerable patients from coronavirus.
“We know people will want to visit their loved ones in the hospital or nursing home, but we all must take these necessary steps now to save lives in the days and weeks to come,” Borenstein said in a news release.
SLO County asks community members to join medical reserve corps
San Luis Obispo County is looking for additional healthcare providers to sign up for the Medical Reserve Corps.
The county is currently seeking physicians, nurses, paramedics, EMTs, licensed therapists and social workers, certified addiction providers, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, dentists, pharmacists, veterinarians and physical therapists.
The county is also asking that community members without medical training such as translators, sign language interpreters, and administrators apply.
The reserve will only be activated if full capacity is reached at hospitals and the alternative care site must be used.
To volunteer for the medical corps auxiliary, sign up at: https://healthcarevolunteers.ca.gov. Then email that information to the San Luis Obispo County medical corps coordinator at slomrc@gmail.com.
Hotels, campgrounds set up to shelter homeless
Bracing for a potential surge in local COVID-19 cases, San Luis Obispo County officials have secured campgrounds, hotel rooms and trailers in preparation to shelter residents experiencing homelessness who show symptoms of coronavirus.
“Preventing the spread of the virus among our homeless population is one of our many priorities,” county emergency services director Wade Horton said March 22. “We have no diagnoses in homeless individuals yet, but we are preparing for it.”
Early state models showed the virus that causes COVID-19 could spread to 60,000 homeless residents in California within two months, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Local schools to stay closed to May
Paso Robles Joint Unified School District, Lucia Mar Unified School District and San Luis Coastal Unified School District schools will all remain closed until early May, the districts announced Friday.
“It is our hope that this can happen so that we can conclude the school year and seniors in particular can return for traditional activities and ceremonies,” Paso Robles Superintendent Curt Dubost said in a news release.
The districts all expect to reopen on May 4.
This story was originally published March 27, 2020 at 10:05 AM.
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