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Andrew Noymer, an affiliate professor and epidemiologist at UC Irvine, holds two kinds of N95 masks Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022. (Photograph by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Santa Clara County gained’t be making any adjustments to its masks guidelines for now, regardless of a choice Monday by the state to loosen its order.
Throughout a Board of Supervisors assembly on Tuesday, Public Well being Director Dr. Sara Cody mentioned that her workplace was nonetheless reviewing figures earlier than they modify any insurance policies.
“As you already know, we're all the time searching for to do what we are able to to be essentially the most protecting but additionally versatile,” mentioned Cody throughout Tuesday’s assembly in response to a query from Board President Mike Wasserman. “We're our knowledge and the place we're within the omicron wave and simply going by means of the method that we normally do and don’t have a choice to share from this level.”
In answering Wasserman’s query, Dr. Cody didn't supply any benchmarks or parameters the county must meet for the masks mandate to be loosened. To this point, Sacramento, Marin and Solano Counties have all introduced that they are going to be following the state’s guidelines. Contra Costa County well being officers mentioned at a gathering Tuesday that they had been “nonetheless evaluating” whether or not to align with the state in dropping the county’s masks mandate. The county’s well being division will probably decide by the top of this week after conferring with different Bay Space officers, a deputy well being director mentioned on the assembly.
In accordance with the county’s newest figures, circumstances are on the decline, with the county averaging 2,400 circumstances a day and about equal to what the area was experiencing throughout final winter’s surge. Information launched Tuesday additionally exhibits a serious drop in COVID-19 concentrations inside wastewater websites from across the county.
Santa Clara County’s choice comes after an announcement by the state that makes huge adjustments to masks carrying beginning Feb. 16.
Vaccinated particular person will be capable of enter indoor public settings and not using a masks — besides on public transit and in high-risk settings like hospitals, skilled-nursing services and jails. Guidelines surrounding proof of vaccination can be altering, particularly as of Feb. 7, the state doesn’t require a unfavourable COVID-19 take a look at with proof of vaccination to enter nursing houses. As well as, occasions which have below 1,000 attendees at the moment are not required to point out proof of vaccination or a take a look at end result.
Tuesday’s assembly additionally provided the primary public problem to Santa Clara County’s strict booster mandate.
In December, Santa Clara County introduced that high-risk staff in hospitals, jails and nursing houses must get the booster shot by Jan. 24 or get reassigned to a lower-risk setting. The order went additional than the state’s in that it didn't enable these with exemptions to remain of their roles — the one county in all the state to implement such a rule.
Whereas personal hospitals had been in a position to persuade the county’s public well being director to get a workaround in order that these with exemptions may proceed to work — a whole bunch of county workers had been disciplined on Feb. 2 after not following the booster mandate. The booster order has been criticized by union heads representing county staff, who've argued that eradicating unvaccinated workers from their roles will put additional pressure on a workforce already below stress from the omicron wave.
Supervisor Cindy Chavez, a longtime supporter of the realm’s public unions, challenged the booster order on Tuesday and requested that the general public well being division fall according to the state’s guidelines.
“I believe it's so crucial that at this part we're aligned with the state and don’t have completely different differentiations from the state as a result of I believe the extent of confusion, consternation and stress that it's inflicting is important,” mentioned Chavez. She added later, “My concern is (not solely) each the change in staffing wants, however in lots of of those (county) departments…we've a lot necessary time beyond regulation that I'm actually involved about us straining our assets. Not simply folks being compelled into time beyond regulation, however simply how lengthy we are able to try this earlier than we burn folks out and lose workers.”
The county public well being division didn't instantly reply to a request for remark.
Correction: February 9, 2022 An earlier model of this text incorrectly reported that Santa Clara County is averaging 2,400 COVID-19 circumstances per week. The county is averaging 2,400 COVID-19 circumstances per day.
Correction: February 9, 2022 An earlier model of this text incorrectly reported that Santa Clara County is averaging 2,400 COVID-19 circumstances per week. The county is averaging 2,400 COVID-19 circumstances per day.
Correction: February 9, 2022 An earlier model of this text incorrectly reported that Santa Clara County is averaging 2,400 COVID-19 circumstances per week. The county is averaging 2,400 COVID-19 circumstances per day.