‘We have lost control of this fight.’ California Democrat wants state back under stay-at-home order
As the coronavirus surges through California, which now has the highest number of cases in the country, state Sen. Steve Glazer, D-Orinda, said on Thursday it’s time for most counties in the Golden State to return to a strict stay-at-home order.
“It’s clear that we have lost control of the coronavirus fight,” Glazer said during a Zoom press conference. “And you don’t have to look very far to see it in the numbers.”
Despite Gov. Gavin Newsom’s mask mandate ordered on June 18, and the decision on July 13 to close bars and indoor dining, California reported a record-high 12,807 cases on Wednesday. The state now has more than 413,000 total cases, surpassing the caseload in New York, once the epicenter of the pandemic, and those in countries like Iran and Italy, which were also rocked by the virus in the spring.
Glazer said California’s early success under the nation’s first stay-at-home order issued in mid-March didn’t mean the state had eradicated the disease. The line never declined enough to warrant reopening, Glazer said. Instead, it only plateaued, which meant once the state started allowing counties to reopen, rampant spread was inevitable.
“Unfortunately, it never really declined. As we began the reopening process, it was clear that the only place to go was up. And it’s clear that’s exactly what happened,” Glazer said.
To regain control of the virus, Glazer laid out a multi-point mitigation plan that first recommends pulling counties back under a stay-at-home order if they have a higher positivity rate than 2%. That would mean most Californians would return to a March and April-like existence, when only trips to an essential job or to places like the grocery store and pharmacy were allowed.
Glazer also also said the administration should consider a regional approach in its reopening guidelines. Under that method, if a county lowered its positivity rate but its neighbor did not, then it could not lift the stay-at-home order.
The World Health Organization recommends a 5% positivity rate as the best number to indicate whether a spread is under control. Glazer said he chose a more aggressive positivity rate of 2% because California’s situation is so dire that it requires a stronger approach.
“These counties are not islands in the sea,” Glazer said, adding that they’re only a “block away, roadway away, freeway away” from an area with uncontrolled COVID-19 numbers.
California’s average positivity rate is north of 7.0%, as of Thursday. More than 30 counties are currently on the state’s “watch list,” meaning they have a concerning level of new cases, an increase in hospitalization and ICU numbers, or outbreaks in certain facilities like nursing homes and jails. Once included on the monitoring list, counties face additional restrictions, like keeping schools closed to in-person instruction.
The senator also suggested the governor issue a mandatory 14-day quarantine for anyone arriving from states and countries with a positivity rate greater than 2%. Only six states — Vermont, Maine, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Hawaii — meet that marker, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
Glazer’s strategy additionally includes intensifying the state’s contact tracing program and making tracking data public so Californians can better understand where a spread is occurring.
Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said he was “confident” that California’s approach using data will help “guide us through the pandemic.”
“From the outset we envisioned reopening the economy as a dimmer switch, where we toggle modifications and closures up and down to avoid large-scale surges,” Ghaly said in a statement. “This is precisely what we have done. As we look ahead, we must work together, all 40 million Californians strong, to reduce the spread of the virus in our communities.”
Meanwhile, California Republicans have criticized the governor’s call to toughen reopening restrictions by reclosing indoor services for a slew of businesses like restaurants, theaters, wineries, cardrooms and theaters.
In a letter to Newsom following his July decision, state Sen. Shannon Grove, the Republican leader from Bakersfield, said the new restrictions could kill small businesses.
“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy,” Grove wrote. “But now, far too many of these businesses are at risk of closing for good because of the government induced shutdown.”
Glazer added additional unemployment benefits and expanded support services like meals for seniors to his plan. He said a new stay-at-home requirement could blunt economic recovery, and acknowledged the challenge in convincing Californians, who have tasted the freedom of loosened orders this summer, to return to the confines of their homes.
“But we have to do this right,” he said. “Because that’s the only way to bring our economy back. Nobody is going to go out if we can’t control this virus. No business is going to thrive unless we kill this virus.”
This story was originally published July 23, 2020 at 12:32 PM.