‘Pandemic fatigue’ hit Placer County. Now the state is ordering businesses to close
After weeks of working to reduce cases and open business, Placer County is now faced with closures again as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations surge across the region.
State public health officials announced Tuesday that Placer County would move to the red tier, the second highest tier in the state’s monitoring system.
By Tuesday morning, the county reported a daily case rate of 8.4%, up from 7.8% in the last week of October, a figure that falls within the state’s “severe” purple tier. Placer’s other two important metrics, its test positivity rate and health equity rate, were also on the rise, but still considered within the range of the “moderate” orange tier.
However, in an interview with The Sacramento Bee, Dr. Rob Oldham, interim public health officer for Placer County said, it’s likely the county’s metrics will continue to increase over the next couple weeks and potentially push the county into the state’s most restrictive purple tier.
“It very well could be that we’d be moving to the purple tier later this month if the trend continues,” he said.
“This is heartbreaking news for so many businesses and workers who have already struggled so much during this pandemic, especially before the holidays,” said Board of Supervisors Chair Bonnie Gore, who represents the majority of Roseville. “It is especially disheartening when you consider how hard our businesses have worked to slow the spread. We will continue to do everything we can to support them, and we appeal again to our community that we all need to do our part to help slow the spread of COVID-19.”
The surge in coronavirus cases in Placer is attributed largely to an increase in household transmission, meaning a person infected with the virus passes it to other household members. It’s an issue that has proven to be challenging, epidemiologists said in a county report, and has driven up cases statewide.
Public health officials are urging residents to use many of the same precautions that have been in use in public venues for the duration of the pandemic. If a family member or roommate has a known positive case, wearing masks, frequent cleaning, and limiting contact can help slow the spread of the virus within a household.
Additionally, “Public Health has noted that the percentage of positive cases who reported attending a large gathering during their infectious period was higher in October than in other months of the pandemic thus far,” according to the county’s report.
“The increases we’re seeing in the region and here in Placer are a concern as we head into the holiday season,” Oldham said in a statement emailed to The Sacramento Bee. “We know many are experiencing pandemic fatigue, but believe if our community keeps the basics in mind – distancing, masks and thinking twice before gathering in person, especially indoors – we can get through this.”
Forty-eight percent of people who tested positive reported being in close contact with someone who had the virus, and 20% of new cases were generated from large gatherings in the last month.
And large gatherings characteristic of the holiday season are on the horizon and could continue to drive case counts up, Oldham said.
County epidemiologists determined that outbreaks in schools and nursing homes have remained small and are not a driving factor in the current surge.
The cities of Roseville, Rocklin and Lincoln reported the highest case rates in the county, with with an average of 164.6 cases per 10,000 residents. By the end of last week, cases had jumped by a combined 930 cases in south Placer cities.
Hospitalizations for COVID-19 have also steadily climbed, though have still not reached the same levels reported during the summer outbreak. By Tuesday, 42 people were hospitalized for COVID-19, with six people in ICU beds because of the virus. However, more than one third of those hospitalized are not Placer residents.
Placer’s two largest hospitals are near the county line, drawing patients from Sacramento and Placer counties, according to the county’s epidemiology report.
Oldham cautioned county officials last week about the likelihood of being moved to the red tier and the oncoming closures.
“I’m not saying we may not need to eventually move into the red tier if current trends continue,” he said in a presentation to the board of supervisors last week. “We are seeing an increase in cases and our testing positivity rate. And also increasing evidence that some in our community are letting down their guard. But I’m not sure that Placer’s current numbers justify moving back into the red tier at this point.”
Oldham said he filed an adjudication with the state making a case to stay in the orange tier since two of three of the county’s metrics are in the moderate range. But Tuesday’s rankings show the state did not agree.
Red tier restrictions mean restaurants must reduce indoor dining to 25% capacity, and bars and distilleries that do not serve food must close. Shopping malls can remain open as long as indoor capacity is limited to 50%. And churches, temples and synagogues may remain open with services limited to 25% capacity of 100 people, whichever is fewer.
“In our messaging, we’re trying to acknowledge that people have fatigue, but also that this is nowhere near to being over,” Oldham said. “I think that people are seeing that we’re in this for the long haul and so we’re going to have to get creative and keep that human connection.”
This story was originally published November 10, 2020 at 2:46 PM.