Fresno County residents are in the dark about COVID-19 outbreaks. That needs to change

Five high schools. A city fire department. Various nursing homes. A cheese-making plant.

What they have in common is an unwelcome sign of the times: They became places of COVID-19 outbreaks.

The way the public learned about those locations, all in Merced County, was through a page on the county public health department’s website.

The dashboard page is chock full of data: new cases, cases by community per 1,000 residents, cases by gender, cases by exposure type. In the middle of the page is a small box with the headline “Outbreaks.” Beneath it is an explanation: “All facilities currently listed are in an active outbreak status.”

Then follows a listing of the places currently deemed to be an outbreak. The Hilmar Cheese Company, Los Banos Fire Department and Merced High School are among those shown.

In California, there is currently no requirement for such information to be posted by county health departments. Rather, each of the state’s 58 counties can choose how they want to notify the public about COVID-19. In the central San Joaquin Valley, only Merced County identifies where active outbreaks are occurring.

So kudos to Merced County for taking a strong step toward public information and transparency. As America heads to what public health experts say could be its darkest months of the coronavirus pandemic, more information, not less, is what the public needs to make good decisions for safety.

As cases and deaths rapidly ramp up across the nation, the time has come to be more forthcoming.

Public information lacking

California’s elected leaders relish the ideal of being transparent, but in fact, other states are way ahead when it comes to informing the public about COVID-19 outbreaks.

According to a story by CalMatters, Oregon has used a centralized tracking system since May that lets health officials release weekly reports that list the names and addresses of every known business with at least 30 employees where five or more positive COVID-19 cases are identified. For outbreaks of more than 20, Oregon issues special daily reports.

A few states, including Colorado, New Mexico and Arkansas, have adopted workplace transparency rules similar to Oregon’s.

California does have a new law taking effect Jan. 1 that will provide some help.

Under Assembly Bill 685, employers will be required to alert workers of any potential exposures to COVID-19. Businesses also have to explain benefits and protections, including disinfection and safety measures to be followed at the work site. And companies must notify the county public health agency of any outbreak.

An outbreak is when three or more confirmed cases of COVID-19 occur in employees who live in different households.

“Employees in a workplace have the right to know if they’ve been exposed to COVID, and these steps ensure that while protecting the privacy of those who have tested positive,” says Nathan Ahle, president and CEO of the Fresno Chamber of Commerce.

It is a good step to require workplace notifications. But it would be better yet to inform the public at large.

Make listing happen

Public health experts have been warning Americans that the worst of the pandemic is barreling toward us in the coming months of winter darkness.

It’s cold and snowy in many parts of the U.S., and people are inside, where airborne COVID-19 can easily spread. Even the San Joaquin Valley has experienced frosty mornings of late.

County public health officers are imploring residents across the Valley to shelter at home, stay socially distant if one must go out, wear a face mask and wash hands frequently.

In return, it’s not too much to ask that those officials follow Merced County’s lead and publicize where outbreaks are happening.

The bottom line is this: As of Monday, Fresno County had 38,500 total cases and nearly 500 deaths since the coronavirus pandemic began in March. A deadly threat requires a variety of responses. More public information is a key part of that battle.