Councilmen’s advice risks coronavirus resurgence. Wiser course is to stay sheltered

On Monday a Fresno City Council member decried how small businesses remain closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the city’s shelter in place order. Later that day the central San Joaquin Valley set a daily record for new cases of the disease.

On Tuesday a different Fresno council member railed against the city’s sheltering order, also saying how small businesses and the economy are getting unfairly harmed. He even spoke of possibly suing Gov. Gavin Newsom over the stay-at-home directive. Later Tuesday the region marked another daily record for number of cases, and Fresno County went over the 500-case mark since COVID-19 infections began.

Such are the competing realities of life in the Valley right now. There is no question the area’s economy is being hurt by orders by Fresno and Clovis city officials for residents to shelter at home as much as possible and for nonessential businesses to be closed so as to limit public gathering and spread of the virus.

Yet as the statistics show, the number of infections in the Valley are still climbing. In light of that, a third Fresno council member on Wednesday called on the sheltering order to be extended from May 6 to May 31.

History shows how a too-early relaxing of sheltering rules can have bad results. As tough as it has been for local business owners, Fresno, Clovis and the region need to stay the course as determined by city leaders. In the long run, the economy — and local population — will be better for it.

Council member protests

Mike Karbassi, the council member who represents northwest Fresno, said Monday the closure of nonessential businesses is hurting his rug shop. He was particularly irked that big-box stores continue to operate and sell items in competition with him.

That theme carried over to the Tuesday press conference by Garry Bredefeld, who represents northeast Fresno. He lamented the impact on small businesses now shuttered while retail giants like Walmart stay open.

Bredefeld pushed for immediate reopening, and augmented his arguments with references to constitutional rights.

But before any new action is taken, lessons from Fresno’s past can offer valuable guidance.

Flu of 1918-19

Fresno State history professor Ethan J. Kytle, writing a Valley Voice essay for The Bee, described what happened in Fresno when the so-called Spanish flu of 1918-19 reached town.

The illness, which actually originated at an Army base in Kansas before U.S. troops carried it to Europe during World War I, arrived in Fresno in early October of 1918. Residents rapidly became infected, and city leaders closed schools, theaters and churches and prohibited indoor public gatherings. Everyone had to wear masks in public, under threat of a fine or jail time.

The restrictions remained until late November. The city reopened churches, schools, and public entertainment venues and lifted the mask requirement. Then a second wave of flu developed and infections rose. Restrictions had to be resumed, with some business owners threatening lawsuits. “Public health officials, meanwhile, increasingly struggled to convince residents to put aside their individual interests for the good of the community,” Kytle recounted.

It took until February before life in Fresno began coming back to normal. Nearly 260 of Fresno’s population of 45,000 died. Today that would be equivalent to 3,000 people.

Stay the course

Threatening to sue the city and state is not helpful. Having press conferences to denounce actions taken for a pandemic affecting everyone is not useful.

And politicizing the pandemic, as Bredefeld has done by calling Mayor Lee Brand authoritarian or nicknaming him “Dr. Brand,” is a poor use of office.

The mayor is not making up the city’s response. He is basing it on advice of medical experts, both local and at the state level. Brand is not pretending to be a doctor. Quite the contrary — he is listening to their analysis and recommendations, and he has shown flexibility. On Tuesday he green-lighted pet groomers to reopen, for example.

Newsom on Tuesday indicated some of the restrictions would be relaxed within weeks. Sheltering has been working.

One thing Fresno County needs more of is testing capability to better know how widespread infections have become.

To best support local businesses right now, Fresno residents should shop local online. Once the sheltering is over, Fresnans should frequent local businesses to help them get re-established.

Until then, let’s stay at home and be safe.