‘You spit in our face.’ California health officer blasts coronavirus rule-breakers
A California health officer fed up with people breaking coronavirus self-isolation and shelter-in-place orders has some blunt words for offenders.
“If you decide you want to do your own thing and follow your own rules, you disrespect us all,” says Dr. Scott Morrow in a message posted on the San Mateo County Health site. “You spit in our face, and you will contribute to the death toll that will follow.”
More than 409,000 cases of the COVID-19 virus have been confirmed worldwide with more than 18,000 deaths as of March 24, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has more than 49,000 confirmed cases with more than 600 deaths.
The World Health Organization has declared coronavirus a global pandemic, and the United States has declared a national emergency. California has issued a “shelter-in-place” order.
In San Mateo County, part of the San Francisco Bay Area, 161 people have been confirmed to have the COVID-19 virus, The Mercury News reports.
In his message posted Monday as the latest in a series of posts by Morrow on the coronavirus pandemic, the county health officer says he’s grateful that many people are taking the situation seriously.
He also says he’s pleased by the resources and efforts being devoted to battling the pandemic. But Morrow adds that he’s “gravely disappointed” that some have chosen to ignore restrictions ordered to try to limit the spread of coronavirus.
“Our world has profoundly changed in an instant. It is now up to you all, the community, to decide what you want your future to be,” Morrow writes.
“For those of you who say: ‘nobody tells me what to do,’ now is a time to make an exception,” he adds. “You can go back to being ornery in the future.”
Morrow says that keeping people apart “is the only tool we currently have” in the absence of a vaccine or effective treatment for the COVID-19 virus.
Warning of an “Italy-type catastrophe,” Morrow says “these orders are not recommendations, they are rules to be followed.”
More than 6,000 people have died in Italy as surging coronavirus cases overwhelm hospitals.
Morrow advised people not to mix outside their immediate households and to refrain from crowding beaches, parks and other outdoor locations, where throngs of people flocked last weekend.
People should observe social distancing rules and wash their hands frequently, he said.
“I deeply understand the hardships and frustrations these measures place on you and your families,” Morrow said. “These measures will be temporary, but they may be in place longer than you would like. What I need for you to do now is follow my recommendations, advice and orders, unite as a community, come to each other’s aid, and let kindness, compassion, and gratitude guide your actions.”