Sonoma County Health Officer Dr. Sundari Mase announced Tuesday evening, March 31, that the Sonoma County shelter in place order will be extended until May 3, at 11:59 p.m.
“We are aligning with our other Bay Area counties,” Mase said of the extended health order.
The announcement came during Northern California Public Media’s fourth COVID-19 town hall update.
Mase said the shelter in place order “seems to be very effective in flattening the curve.”
“Staying safely at home and physical distancing are scientifically proven to be the most effective methods to slow the transmission of COVID-19 and keep our communities healthy,” Mase noted in a county press release sent out later Tuesday night.
The updated order also provides new information on key businesses and outlines a new requirement for essential businesses.
“Before this Friday, April 3, they (essential businesses) must create, post and implement a social distancing protocol for each facility frequented by employees or the public. Essential businesses have to provide a copy of this protocol to all employees and provide evidence of its implementation when they are asked by an authority,” Mase said.
Residents may also leave their home to attend a funeral service of no more than 10 individuals present, to manage any after death arrangements or burials, to arrange for shelter or avoid homelessness, to avoid domestic violence or child abuse, to travel for parental custody arrangements and to travel to a temporary residence to avoid exposing others to COVID-19.
“In order for these things to happen, we need some additional essential businesses,” Mase said. “For example we need service providers, like real estate agents, escrow agents, notaries, people who work in title companies, funeral home providers, mortuaries, services to assist unemployed individuals with finding employment and moving services in case you are allowed to move.”
The amended order also restricts all moves to only essential moves as described by Mase.
Mase also gave a data regarding COVID-19 case statistics nationally, as well as countywide.
Nationally, there are a reported 189,753 cases and 4,090 deaths. California has 8,569 cases, many of which are in the Bay Area. There are 7,268 active cases throughout the state, 60 of which have recovered. There have been 183 deaths in the state.
Twelve new cases were reported in Sonoma County on March 31, bringing the total as of this writing, to 85. Of those cases, 71 are active.
Mase said the first two cases in children 17 and under in Sonoma County were reported.
Seventeen of the cases are travel related, either domestic or international; 18 are from close contact with other cases, and 13 are community transmission cases. Thirteen cases have recovered and there has been one death in the jurisdiction. The numbers don’t reflect the death of a Santa Rosa Police Department detective, who was a Napa County resident.
“It is split pretty well between male and female,” Mase said of the demographics.
After gathering listener questions, the host of the town hall, Northern California Public Media News Director Steve Mencher asked if individuals can get tested if they have only a few of the symptoms of the virus, such as fever and cough.
Mase said individual healthcare providers are making those decisions and that testing is being prioritized for essential groups like health care workers, first responders and for people in congregate settings such as jails and long-term care facilities.
While the county does have the laboratory capacity for testing, Mase noted that they need more supplies for test kits.
COVID-19 questions
Earlier in the evening, town hall participants Sonoma County District 3 Supervisor Shirlee Zane, chair of the board of supervisors Susan Gorin and CEO and President of United Way of the Wine Country Lisa Carreño fielded questions from Mencher and from listeners.
The bulk of the questions centered around concerns about access to food, mental health services, unemployment resources and the homeless population.
Gorin said the county is contracting with several different organizations such as the Redwood Empire Food Bank, Ceres and the Council on Aging’s Meals on Wheels program to ensure that families have access to food during the shelter in place.
She added that many grocery stores are also creating special hours for seniors to shop.
“There are grocery stores that have senior hours. They are usually earlier in the morning and there are grocery stores that really do employ safe practice and safe distancing. I know that one of the grocery stores I visited recently has a capacity limit, and you have to wait in line at a safe distance,” Gorin said.
In terms of mental health resources, Zane mentioned 24/7 suicide hotlines and the many resources provided by the National Institue for Mental Health (NAMI). NAMI has several free hotlines, including a crisis text line (text “HELLO” to 741741), a disaster distress helpline (call 1-800-985-5990 or text “TalkWithUs” to 66746) and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (call 1-800-273-TALK) among others.
“I actually think this whole virus is elevating the importance of mental health for all of us. People need to take care of themselves and take care of self care,” Zane said.
When asked when county and city parks could reopen so folks can exercise as a means to manage mental health, Zane said she was not sure, but hopes they can be reopened.
“When Marin County closed (its parks), it made it hard because we figured Marin County people would be coming up here and the parks would be even more crowded,” Zane said of the decision to close every single park in the county. “I hope we reopen soon, but we have to get past this difficult time dealing with a virus that is so easy to spread.”
Carreño said those who are looking for unemployment resources can call or text the county’s information center, 211, which is managed by United Way of the Wine Country.
A 61-year-old Sebastopol massage therapist had asked where they could go to find resources after having to close their business indefinitely, and Carreño said the 211 services are a good place to start.
“My recommendation would be to go to 211 right now and when you look for financial assistance, it will take you to SoCo emergency page and there is some direction there on how to file for unemployment,” Carreño said.
She said 211 has the capacity to respond to inquiries in 150 languages and that the services have seen a surge in calls since Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the indefinite state-wide shelter-in-place order.
“They (those with questions surrounding COVID-19) can go to 211 Sonoma and find info through our website. They can call 211, and they will be connected with an English- or Spanish-speaking staff member who can answer their questions. In addition they can text and use a texting platform to communicate with a live call center,” she said.
In regard to reaching the homeless population, Zane said there are eight public health nurses that are dedicated to reaching the homeless. She said the county has also requested 250 motel rooms from the state of California so those who are homeless can shelter in place safely.
“They are at the forefront of our minds, along with seniors,” Zane said.
