Stanislaus County leaders could end local COVID emergency declared two years ago
Stanislaus County supervisors are poised to end a local health emergency that was declared in March 2020 when the coronavirus started making people sick in this county.
The Board of Supervisors will vote Tuesday on terminating the local health emergency that was declared by county Public Health Officer Dr. Julie Vaishampayan on March 11, 2020.
County public health officials said in a news release Friday they are recommending the board terminate the proclamation.
“While the pandemic is not over, the emergency phase of the pandemic is waning,” the news release said. “As such, Stanislaus County Public Health recommends the Board of Supervisors end the declaration of a local health emergency.”
According to the news release, the county continues to recover from a surge of the omicron variant; cases and hospitalizations are decreasing significantly. The latest update said 59 COVID-positive patients are in local hospitals, including 12 in intensive care units.
Another key indicator, the seven-day average case rate, stood at 12.7 per 100,000 population, down from a peak of 205.8 per 100,000 on Jan. 22. Test positivity is 6.3%.
Nine deaths were reported in a daily update to the county health services dashboard, raising the two-year total to 1,676.
A spokesperson said county public health still recommends that people wear masks and take other precautions such as social distancing and hand-washing to keep from catching or spreading the virus.
If the local emergency is terminated Tuesday, public health staff will continue to monitor case rates and other coronavirus activity, including the possibility of new variants. The news release asked all county residents to respect those who continue to wear masks.
“Public health will continue to work with hospitals and other healthcare providers, schools and businesses to monitor outbreaks and mitigate their effect on those organizations,” the news release said.
Supervisor Vito Chiesa said Friday the county health officer believes the emergency side of the pandemic is done or has paused. “The indicators are we are out of the emergency phase,” he said.
Ending the emergency declaration does not stop the county from monitoring the virus and considering options if a new variant emerges, Chiesa said.
County leaders in early February ended a local COVID declaration that made it possible for top administrators to make decisions in response to the pandemic without getting Board of Supervisors approval.
In the past week, the California Department of Public Health relaxed its mask requirement for unvaccinated people in indoor public places, making it a strong recommendation for people regardless of vaccination status.
The state still requires masks for everyone in high-risk settings including health care facilities, public transit, homeless shelters and nursing homes. A state requirement for masks in K-12 schools will be lifted March 12.
The news release said the local emergency declaration in March 2020 allowed for local actions by county, city and state government to respond to COVID-19 and “protect the local health care infrastructure.”
Employees from county departments and outside organizations came together to assist with testing, vaccinations, logistics, analytics and planning for the local response.
Through the effort, millions of pieces of personal protective equipment were acquired and distributed, the county said.
The county began shifting its planning early this year with the expectation of COVID-19 becoming an endemic illness at some point in 2022.
The county Board of Supervisors will meet at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the basement chamber of Tenth Street Place, 1010 10th St., Modesto.
This story was originally published March 4, 2022 at 2:59 PM.
