‘We are in this together.’ With new COVID-19 closures, how will Fresno County respond?
When Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday ordered an immediate new closure of indoor shopping malls, fitness centers, churches, and personal care businesses like nail salons and barbershops, no one should have been surprised. Disappointed, yes, but not shocked.
That affects not just Fresno County, but Tulare, Madera and Kings counties as well. It came after Newsom had recently closed restaurants in Fresno County to inside dining. Effective Monday, indoor dining is closed statewide, and bars throughout California are shut down entirely.
All this is because California’s trend of COVID-19 infections has been going the wrong way for weeks. Far from flattening the curve of cases and deaths, the state had been seeing both steadily rise, with increases becoming more dramatic since Memorial Day.
Fresno County is no exception. As of Saturday, Fresno County had 8,282 cases and 88 deaths.
Bee data reporter Tim Sheehan compiled other key numbers in a story that published over the weekend:
▪ On May 5, the day that the first phase of businesses were authorized to open under a statewide road map to recovery, Fresno County had 726 cases. Confirmed infections have risen by more than 950% since that date.
▪ On May 21, the state allowed Fresno County to reopen restaurants for indoor dining, as well as shopping malls. Cases since then have gone up by about 460%.
▪ On May 26, county leaders allowed barber shops and hair salons to restart their operations. Since then, positive tests have risen by about 410%.
▪ On June 26, nail salons, body art shops, aestheticians, and recreation venues like movie theaters and family fun centers were authorized to reopen. Cases rose from 4,197 to 7,627 last Thursday — an increase of almost 82% in two weeks.
Personal duty
There are more ways to portray the rising tide of COVID-19 deaths and infections, but the main point is this: Until an effective vaccine is created — possibly by early next year, experts say — the key to slowing the rise in cases is by each Fresno County resident taking personal responsibility to keep themselves healthy and free of the virus.
To stay healthy, one should remain at home as much as possible. If one must go out into public, wear a mask and stay at least 6 feet away from others. Wash hands with soap and water as much as possible, or use sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
“We are in this together,” Dr. Rais Vohra, the interim county public health officer, said Monday. “This is a critical time to pitch in. We really gotta get this curve to flatten out.”
Humans are social creatures.. but COVID-19 is testing our bonds in ways most have never experienced. Californians are learning that they just cannot hang together in person right now. The sooner that point is accepted, the quicker the state can flatten the curve. If the state can lower infection rates sufficiently, Newsom can consider reopening the places most of us value, like gyms, salons, churches and restaurants.
Health issue
It bears repeating that this is a public health issue, not a constitutional one. No one has a right to infect another person with a potentially fatal disease. Everyone, regardless of political perspective, has to join in the battle while respecting others.
Still think that this pandemic stuff is overblown? Consider Kenley Jansen, the star relief pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He just got over COVID-19:
“It is real,” Jansen told the Los Angeles Times about his family’s three-week ordeal. “Everyone in the world, take it serious. Wear your mask at all times, if you can. Because, trust me, it happens so fast. Once my son got it, I’ve seen how fast it can spread. We tried to do everything, but we all got it in the house.”
That’s coming from a 32-year-old professional athlete who is much stronger than the average Fresnan.
For those who want to return to church, hit the gym or eat out at their favorite restaurant, the timing for that is in your control. Bring down the numbers by taking charge of your health, and those things will be possible again.