By Jondi Gumz
On July 28, the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved an ordinance allowing citations for violating any state or local health order, such as the local order to wear a face mask in public.
The change, effective immediately in response to increasing COVID-19 infection rates and hospitalizations, calls for fines of $100 for a first offense, $200 for the second offense and $500 for a third within a calendar year. Previously such violations were considered misdemeanors, carrying fines of $1,000 and up to six months in jail.
The Capitola City Council, Scotts Valley City Council, Watsonville City Council and Santa Cruz City Council have all adopted the same approach to health order violations: Ticket and fine, $100 for first offense, $200 second offense, $500 for a third offense in a year.
In mid-July, the federal Centers for Disease Control advised that wearing a face covering, such as a cloth mask, would slow the spread of the contagious coronavirus COVID-19. The agency cited new research including a case study in Missouri where two hair stylists saw 139 clients before they found out they were infected; of the 67 clients who were tested, none was positive.
County Supervisor John Leopold said the county’s primary objective is to educate people.
“The lower level of enforcement allows law enforcement officers and administrative staff to support community health and safety by quickly addressing situations without escalating them into court cases or arrests,” Leopold said.
The county ordinance applies in unincorporated areas of Santa Cruz County.
City councils in Watsonville, Capitola, Scotts Valley and Santa Cruz, have all adopted an ordinance with the same fines, $100, $200 and $500 for mask violations.
On Wednesday, the county reported 1,316 COVID-19 cases, with 934 coming in the past two weeks, 31,495 negative tests, and six deaths including two new fatalities reported last week without further detail.
Of the total cases, half are in Watsonville and 59 percent are Latino. And cases have cropped up at skilled nursing facilities, with only Valley Convalescent and Rehabilitation Center in Watsonville remaining free of COVID-19.
Also, Santa Cruz Metro has reported one case among its employees.
Hospitalizations, which peaked at 19 on July 21, have declined to 13.
The slowdown in known cases could be due to a slowdown in testing, which peaked at 473 on July 14 and dropped by Aug. 10 to 174, below the state target of 200 tests a day.
The reason, health officials say, is a global shortage of a chemical needed to run the lab test. This has prompted the county to invest close to $1 million in lab equipment to expand testing at UC Santa Cruz that does not require the standard chemical; the lab expansion is expected to be ready in four to six weeks.
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State Health Director Resigns
The slowdown in cases also could be due to a state lapse in data input — an estimated 300,000 test results over 10 days — that led to the resignation over the weekend of Sonia Angell as the state health officer and director of the California Department of Public Health.
Gov. Newsom named Erica Pan, Alameda health officer, as state health officer and Sandra Shewry, former head of the state Medi-Cal program, as director of the California Department of Public Health.
The state’s 10-year-old data system, designed for all infectious diseases and receiving about 200 reports a day before the pandemic, was being overwhelmed with tens of thousands of daily reports, state official said.
County health staff urge residents to stay six feet away from people outside your household, avoid gathering in groups outside your household, and wash your hands with soap and water frequently.
And when you do need to be around people outside your household, to wear a mask.
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For up to date case counts, see www.santacruzhealth.org