What do counties have to do before the state allows them to phase-in to the next stage?
The California Department of Public Health established the requirements Counties must meet in order to move onto the next stage of the State’s “Stay At Home” order. What are those requirements?
- Keeping the number of cases in our community low, to show that our Public Health system can swiftly respond and contain any new cases
- Protecting Stage 1 essential workers
- Having the ability to test a significant portion of our population each day
- Housing for homeless individuals in case of an outbreak
- Maintaining the capability of the hospital to handle any surge in cases
Will I be able to go eat at a local restaurant?
Dine-in restaurants are allowed to open, but they will look a bit different because of the new requirements for distancing between tables and other changes. When you do visit a restaurant, remember that you should only have members of your own household seated together at the table or booth.
Restaurants will only be able to accommodate about half as many customers inside, compared to the days before the COVID-19 crisis, because of the social distancing requirement. That means it may be difficult to get a table. If that happens, the best way to support your favorite restaurant is by ordering food to go.
You can view the State modifications at https://bit.ly/2LrNiYV or the local protocols at https://bit.ly/2LlXZMO.
What is NOT allowed to reopen?
In-person K-12 schooling is permitted to reopen in Yuba-Sutter at the start of the new school year in mid-August.
Festivals, concerts, concerts, live audience spots, theme parks, and nightclubs are also not yet permitted to reopen.
Nail salons, tattoo/piercing shops, massage therapy, and other close-contact personal care services (facials, waxing, skin care, etc.) were permitted to reopen Friday, June 19.
The state lists in-person schools as being allowed to re-open under late Stage 2. Why won't Yuba-Sutter re-open in-person schooling?
in-person K-12 schooling in Yuba-Sutter will be permitted to reopne by the start of the next calendar schoolyear in mid-August. Details are still being worked out by each school district, but please expect significant changes to instruction, as protocols must be put into place to encourage social distancing, smaller groups, disinfecting/sanitation, and more.
The State says County case counts cannot exceed 1 case of COVID-19 per 10,000 in the past 14 days (from submission of variance document), and no COVID-19 death in the past 14 days.
As of May 8th, 2020, we have a total of 0.30 new COVID-19 cases per 10,000 residents in Sutter County, and 0.51 new COVID-19 cases per 10,000 residents in Yuba County.
In the last 14 days, Yuba-Sutter has had zero deaths from COVID-19.
How is Yuba-Sutter faring when it comes to testing capability?
Up to this point Yuba-Sutter, like elsewhere in the state, has had limited testing kits, making screening key. The region’s testing capacity can now be considered high, with maximum capacity in non-hospitalized setting of 471 per day, or 2.6 tests per 1,000 residents—the state’s recommended minimum is 1.5 per 1,000 residents.
This increase in testing capabilities is a result of the OptumServe site, which opened in Yuba City May 4, 2020, as well as low demand in recent weeks.
Does Yuba-Sutter have enough contact tracers? What do contact tracers do?
Contact tracers are Public Health staff who communicate with positive confirmed COVid-19 cases and their close contacts: someone who interacted closely with that individual recently, which can include family members, and coworkers, depending on duration and proximity of exposure.
Given the low case count, the Bi-County Public Health team has 8 contact tracers and 3 contact investigators. An additional 16 tracers and 3 contact investigators have been trained, allowing us to quickly ramp up to 24 contact tracers and 6 contact investigators within hours—putting us at 17 contact staff per 100,000; the state requires at least 15 staff per 100,000 county population.
Mobilization of the remainder of both counties’ public health nurses and Sutter County epidemiologist can increase that number by additional 10-15.
What precautions have Yuba and Sutter counties made to keep staff safe?
We’ve put together a COVID-19 toolkit and FAQs in order to educate and inform various governmental agencies in regards to the process for safe return to work including: daily symptoms screening and temperature check for all employees and a universal facial covering policy for all who enter a County property.
The County also has acquired sufficient Personal Protective Equipment for personnel including facemasks and, where appropriate, gloves, surgical masks and N-95 masks.
The Counties also provide daily updated websites with information for businesses and the public including a Business Toolkit with COVID-19 protocol, FAQs, screening and testing information, case count dashboard and more.
What are you doing to protect homeless individuals?
The Yuba-Sutter region has the capacity to house 213 people, or 30 percent of our January 2019 point-in-time count of 721 homeless individuals. There have been no confirmed cases in a homeless individual.
For a homeless individual suspected of COVID-19, there are mechanisms for transportation to get timely medical care including COVID-19 testing. These individuals are quickly given a hotel room to safely quarantine pending test results. There are six trailers already set up at the Yuba-Sutter Fairgrounds to house homeless individuals who test positive for COVID-19.
Can our local hospital handle a surge in positive cases?
Bi-County staff has worked hand-in-hand with Adventist-Rideout to address surge capacity planning, which has been in the works since early April.
Adventist has the capacity to nearly double the number of beds from 221 to 443 in event of a surge. The Counties have also contracted with a local school district to utilize Yuba City and River Valley high schools to address surge capacity—which would provide an additional 100 beds. Necessary supplies have been ordered and are available for these sites if needed.
Adventist also closely monitors their workforce and has a robust staffing surge plan in place, including close partnership with Sutter, Ampla, Peach Tree and Harmony Health for staffing.
Bi-County Health Officer Dr. Phuong Luu also conducts a weekly check-in with all residential care facilities in the region.
