Remote California county abruptly halts reopening plans, citing first COVID-19 cases
One of California’s most remote counties for months has prided itself on not having any confirmed cases of COVID-19. Earlier this month, it was among the first to win the go-ahead to begin reopening.
And now, Lassen County in the state’s northeastern reaches is believed to be the first in California forced to retract its plan to reopen because of a potential new outbreak.
Test results on Friday confirmed that two people from the same household had been infected with the virus, Lassen County officials announced Tuesday evening. The county began contacting and testing people who’d come in contact with those two people who tested positive and found that two more people had been infected.
It was the first time the coronavirus was confirmed to have been spreading in Lassen County. Although four cases represent a small proportion of a county with 30,000 full-time residents, health officials are still alarmed at the development.
“We now have a serious problem,” Public Health Officer Dr. Kenneth Korver wrote in the emergency order Tuesday. “We need to contain the spread of the virus in Lassen County now.”
As of Tuesday, the county reported having conducted 799 COVID-19 tests, with 574 coming back negative and the remaining 221 pending results. It has increased its testing capacity because of a drive-thru option, officials said.
The newly reported community spread in one of California’s most remote counties comes as counties across the state race ahead with plans to reopen. In the past week, stay-at-home orders have been eased and restaurants have opened their doors.
Over the weekend, the state’s public health department announced people could resume in-store shopping, with modifications. And on Tuesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that people in counties across the state that had approved plans could begin getting their hair cut in salons and barbershops.
Lone county in California without confirmed COVID-19 cases
Lassen was the only county in California without a confirmed case of COVID-19, according to the state’s tracking dashboard.
The lack of community transmission and increased testing capacity put Lassen County on an accelerated path to reopen its economy. On May 11, the county’s Stage 2 variance was approved and shopping was allowed to resume, with precautions.
Those efforts are now on hold for seven days as county health officials work to determine how widespread the virus is and quarantine and isolate those who might also be infected.
That means restaurants are relegated only to delivery and curbside pick-up only instead of dine-in service. In-store shopping is barred. Salon services and places of worship are again off-limits after having some restrictions relaxed.
“It is my intention for this to be a very temporary situation,” Korver’s order said.
Additional details about the people who tested positive or the number of people they might have come in contact with were not immediately available. None of the state prison facilities in the county have confirmed cases, according to the state.
The clock resets to how it was more than a week ago. If the “situation stabilizes,” officials said they would resume the reopening process.
“We understand the impact these decisions make on (the) local economy and mental health,” officials said, “but we cannot compromise the safety of our residents.”
This story was originally published May 27, 2020 at 12:13 PM with the headline "Remote California county abruptly halts reopening plans, citing first COVID-19 cases."