Coronavirus updates: SLO County medical calls increase, hospital nurses protest
San Luis Obispo County has 93 confirmed cases of coronavirus, and the impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak on the Central Coast continue to grow.
As local nurses protest a lack of personal protective equipment such as masks and gloves, area law enforcement agencies are reporting an increase in medical calls.
Meanwhile, San Luis Obispo tech company Mindbody laid off or furloughed 700 employees in response to a coronavirus-driven dip in revenue.
Here are your local coronavirus updates for Friday:
SLO County medical calls increase during COVID-19 outbreak
Law enforcement agencies and emergency responders are receiving fewer calls for service than before the coronavirus pandemic hit San Luis Obispo County, but a growing number of those calls are health-related, some local officials say.
Some calls are from people reporting symptoms of COVID-19.
No local first responders have tested positive for the respiratory disease caused by new coronavirus, but area agencies are taking extra precautions to protect their own — including distributing personal protective equipment officers and sanitizing patrol cars.
SLO nurses protest lack of coronavirus equipment
The same day that San Luis Obispo County confirmed 15 local healthcare workers have tested positive for coronavirus, dozens of Dignity Health nurses gathered to protest what they say is a lack of equipment needed to keep them safe during the outbreak.
Nurses with San Luis Obispo County’s Dignity Health hospitals gathered in front of the courthouse in downtown San Luis Obispo on Thursday night to hold a candlelight vigil.
Several of the nurses told The Tribune that local hospitals such as Arroyo Grande Community Hospital and French Hospital Medical Center are experiencing a shortage of personal protective equipment including masks, gowns and gloves.
Mindbody lays off 700 employees, including Central Coast workers
Tech company Mindbody announced Thursday that it is laying off or furlough 700 employees across the world in an attempt to keep the business going in a time of coronavirus-induced crisis.
That number includes about 300 workers at the company’s two local offices in San Luis Obispo and Santa Maria.
“If we didn’t take prompt action, we would burn through our cash reserves in a matter of months, and that’s just unacceptable,” CEO Rick Stollmeyer told The Tribune on Thursday. “We need to protect the business for the long term.”
Santa Barbara County asks for residents to wear masks
In a shift from earlier advice, Santa Barbara County Public Health officials are now recommending that people wear cloth-covered masks at grocery stores, pharmacies and similar public places to avoid spreading the coronavirus and COVID-19.
Dr. Henning Ansorg, county public health officer, revealed the information about the masks at Thursday’s daily press briefing on COVID-19.
New data from China show that people can transmit the disease as much as 24 to 48 hours before having symptoms of their own, he said.
He also noted that masks are not the best form of prevention.
This story was originally published April 3, 2020 at 10:50 AM.
