The Nov. 4 meeting of the Windsor town council started off unusually, with an apology from current and projected future mayor, Dominic Foppoli. Foppoli, who looks on track to be Windsor’s first elected mayor (he currently holds the title under the old system of council-nominated mayors), wanted to respond to recent outcry over his decision to attend a town event after a positive COVID test.
“(One) thing I wanted to address is to provide some clarity on an issue that affects me personally,” Foppoli began. “If you haven’t heard, I tested positive for COVID a little while back and I wanted at assure the public in Windsor that at no point was I around anybody purposely when I knew I was contagious. I was assured by county health and (Sonoma County Health Officer) Dr. (Sundari) Mase that I was never putting anybody at risk by going public.”
According to an account on his Facebook page, on approximately Oct. 18 Foppoli was on a business trip to Tennessee when he developed what he describes as “symptoms of a very minor cold.” Foppoli flew home, and later that week took a COVID test at Windsor’s newly opened testing site at the Bluebird Center. He took the test as a way to publicize the testing facility and was informed on Thursday, Oct. 29 that he had tested positive.
The controversy comes from the fact that on Oct. 31, he participated in Windsor’s Halloween Trick or Treat Trail, handing out candy. He did wear a mask for the event. Foppoli has stated that he did so with blessing of local health authorities.
“I have shared this information with those who I encountered over the previous days, and especially those who supported me by helping me wave (campaign) signs during the week,” he said in a statement on Nov. 1. “By Friday morning (Oct. 30), I had passed the 10-day mark and was no longer contagious. I have confirmed this with multiple COVID experts, including Dr.Mase.”
This statement is in line with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control, which states those who test positive for COVID “can be around others after:
- 10 days since symptoms first appeared and
- 24 hours with no fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and
- Other symptoms of COVID-19 are improving*
*Loss of taste and smell may persist for weeks or months after recovery and need not delay the end of isolation
Most people do not require testing to decide when they can be around others; however, if your healthcare provider recommends testing, they will let you know when you can resume being around others based on your test results.”
Backlash on social media was swift, as families who had attended the event were concerned that Foppoli had endangered them by attending the event. He attempted to smooth things over with a subsequent social media post on Nov. 2, which did little to calm the concerns.
But, by the Nov.4 council meeting, he had changed his tune somewhat.
“I acknowledge that, in retrospect, I should have stayed in Tennessee, tested there and quarantined,” he said. “I apologize for making anybody in Windsor at all stressed out or concerned, more than they should have been.”
In his Nov.1 social media post about the situation, Foppoli mentioned that his hope was to bring attention to lack of speed in testing or contact tracing, which he cited as a reason he believes Sonoma County continues to languish in the most restrictive virus tier.
“My contact tracing appointment (was) not set until … one whole week after I was initially tested. I have shared this experience with the Sonoma County Mayors Association, and we plan to call out these inefficiencies to ensure Sonoma County systems are as responsive as possible,” he said on Nov. 1. “Even outside of my own experience, it is my belief that the speed of our testing and tracing is contributing to the fact that our county remains in a high tier. I am someone who has access to resources and information, but many others who get a similar diagnosis may not have the resources they need to protect themselves and their families physically and financially in a timely way.”
