Avoid these ‘high-risk’ behaviors as COVID rates rise, California health officials warn

As the holidays approach and COVID-19 rates trend up in California, government health officials are urging residents to avoid activities where people easily spread the coronavirus.

California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly on Tuesday outlined which “high-risk” behaviors people should avoid to prevent another debilitating spike in disease rates.

• Activities where you can’t keep your mask on. Ghaly said eating and drinking are examples.

• Contact with people outside your household. Although it may be counter-intuitive, Ghaly said this is especially risky with people you know well because you may let your guard down. “We often feel this the most with people who were close to – extended family, our closest friends,” Ghaly said. “Just because they’re close to us personally, doesn’t mean that they have lower risk.”

• Activities where you can’t keep your distance or that take long periods of time. Eating at a small table is a good example, as is crowding around a board game.

• Gatherings in spaces without good air flow. Outdoor spaces are safest during the pandemic, but opening windows and doors can help make indoor spaces safer, too, Ghaly said. Avoid gathering in rooms with poor ventilation.

Ghaly described the behaviors generally as ones to avoid as the state braces for a winter season that will tempt people to gather with other households indoors amid cold weather and holidays. The state has not yet released specific guidance for the upcoming Thanksgiving and winter holidays, but Ghaly indicated such guidance will come soon.

State health officials say avoiding high-risk behavior is particularly important as rates are trending up again. In the last two weeks, 3.7% of coronavirus tests have come back positive, up from 2.9% just two weeks ago.

Although coronavirus rates vary by region, Ghaly said overall rates are trending up almost everywhere in California.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has blamed the escalating rates on people letting their guard down and not following precautions like mask-wearing as stringently as they had been.

Acting State Health Officer Dr. Erica Pan said part of the increase also seems linked to more business reopenings as part of California’s color-coded reopening system.

“As we’ve progressed every week, we’ve opened more and more,” Acting State Health Officer Dr. Erica Pan said. “As we’ve seen reopening, which is anticipated, we’ve started to see more cases and more and more concerns about increasing community transmission.”

On Tuesday, the state moved 11 counties including Sacramento to more restrictive tiers because of escalating COVID-19 rates. Moving forward, Ghaly said he expects even more of California’s 58 counties to regress.

“We anticipate, if things stay the way they are, that between this week and next week over half of California counties will have moved into a more restrictive tier,” Ghaly said. “That certainly is an indication that we’re concerned.”

This story was originally published November 11, 2020 at 5:00 AM.