Yolo County seeks to beat ‘COVID news fatigue.’ Will this color-coded awareness push work?

The Yolo County Health & Human Services Agency is launching a voluntary campaign to inform the community about the current risks of COVID-19 and the importance of wearing high-quality masks in indoor public spaces.

Public information officer John Fout said that to reach residents amid “COVID news fatigue,” the county is providing color-coded signs.

Based on risk level, the signs recommend who should wear masks at each level. Red signs indicate high risk, yellow signs indicate medium risk and green signs indicate low risk areas.

Residents may choose to wear a mask when presented with a clear risk indicator as they enter an indoor public space, according to Fout. The county encourages all businesses, non-profit organizations, schools, places of worship and other indoor venues to participate in the awareness campaign.

The signs are intended for places where California’s Department of Public Health does not require masking and should not be posted in healthcare, shelter or jail and other correctional settings, Fout said.

“When COVID activity is high, like it is now, I strongly recommend that everybody in indoor public spaces wears a mask that fits and filters well,” Yolo County Health Officer Dr. Aimee Sisson said. “Cloth masks and surgical masks don’t work nearly as well as N95, KN95 or KF94 masks against the highly infectious variants like BA.5 that are circulating now,

“The signs that will be posted will let people know what the risk level is so they can make an informed choice about masking when they enter a building.”

Since high-quality masks can cost more than cloth or surgical masks, Yolo County is working with partners to distribute 20,000 free, high-quality masks to residents to ensure costs “aren’t a barrier to opting for the best-available COVID protection,” Fout said.

According to Fout, high-quality masks can be worn repeatedly, often for weeks at a time, until they are visibly soiled, wet or no longer provide a good seal against the face.

Since Healthy Yolo Together’s widespread PCR testing ended June 30, the county’s case rate has decreased significantly, But that is misleading, failing to accurately reflect the high burden of COVID-19 in the county, according to Fout.

People infected with COVID-19 can shed viral genetic material from the virus in their feces, according to the CDC. By sewage sampling, this material can be detected in community wastewater.

Fout said that wastewater levels in some parts of Yolo County are as high now as they were in January at the height of the original Omicron wave. He said that wastewater levels of the virus that causes COVID-19 are the most reliable measure of community spread.

Yolo County HHSA will print and distribute the appropriate color-coded signs to public locations to ensure residents have the most current information, according to Fout. Signs also will be available for download at www.yolocounty.org/masks.

For more information about COVID-19 in Yolo County, visit www.yolocounty.org/covid.