CDC urges Solano, other counties to implement indoor masking
County continues to take a reactive, rather than proactive, approach toward fighting the virus.
(Graphic by Solano NewsNet)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is now recommending individuals in Solano County and other areas wear masks in public indoor settings.
The guidance encourages all individuals in a county with a high transmission rate of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 to wear a mask indoors, whether they’ve received a COVID-19 vaccine or not.
The updated guidance issued last week comes as health officials note an increase in the spread of the so-called “Delta variant” of COVID-19. That mutated variant is twice as contagious as the original strain discovered in late 2019, according to health experts.
After easing restrictions in mid-June, some areas of Northern California began seeing an uptick in infections and hospitalizations due to COVID-19. Unvaccinated individuals comprise the majority of cases where hospitalization is required due to severe symptoms brought on by the virus.
The increase in infections and hospitalizations prompted some county health officials in parts of Northern California to institute a mask mandate for indoor public spaces, including businesses.
So far, Solano County has not implemented a similar measure, despite having one of the lowest vaccination rates in the region.
In media interviews, Solano County’s top health official said an indoor mask mandate doesn’t make sense because most infections occur “in people’s homes, backyards, camping…it’s not an environment where masking recommendations are going to apply.”
“Nothing has changed with respect to the science to warrant the CDC's change in its recommendation,” Dr. Bela Matyas said in an interview with NBC station KNTV (Channel 11) late last month.
It was not clear from the interview how Dr. Matyas came to the conclusion that infections in Solano County were happening in private, not public, spaces, nor was it clear if the county collected or analyzed information about how or when people were infected. No one answered the phone at the Solano County Public Health Office when Solano NewsNet attempted to call on Monday.
At a county testing site last week, a reporter for Solano NewsNet was asked if he had symptoms associated with the virus, but wasn’t asked for information about any potential public exposure beyond that.
The county’s hesitancy toward the mask mandate continues a concerning trend of being reactive instead of proactive during the public health emergency.
Last year, the first confirmed case of a novel coronavirus infection in the United States was diagnosed at a hospital in Vacaville. Despite this, county health officials didn’t implement a stay-at-home order for residents until the state moved to do so on a broader level.
The county’s resistance toward practical public safety measures during the COVID-19 pandemic has had a ripple effect in other agencies. When state health officials implemented a stay-at-home order around the holidays, the Solano County Sheriff’s Office affirmed they would not uphold the order, illustrating the emergency health order as an issue of personal liberty. (Local law enforcement agencies took a softer approach — some said they would proactively enforce the order, while others said they would respond to calls of large indoor gatherings only if there was a complaint and assuming resources were available to do so.)
That lack of proactive response and enforcement has caused more harm than good: Last year, state health officials implemented a color-coded system that eased restrictions in a county based on specific infection and hospitalization data. Among Bay Area counties, Solano was the last to exit the most-restrictive “purple” tier at a time when others were making better progress.
The situation meant Solano County residents and businesses were forced to endure tougher restrictions for longer. Businesses in Solano County were required to reduce their indoor capacity, while similar businesses in Yolo, Sacramento and Contra Costa counties were allowed to increase the number of customers served. Restaurants were forced to continue providing outdoor or take-out services while those same counties transitioned to indoor dining.
Despite this, there’s no indication that county officials are about to reverse course and take a proactive approach toward reducing the rate of infections and hospitalizations. In an interview with the Daily Republic newspaper last week, Dr. Matyas said Solano County was merely seeing what other areas of the state were experiencing.
“Cases are high, hospitalizations are high, but ICU [numbers] are not that high,” he claimed.
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