No excuse for radio silence from Stanislaus officials over coronavirus’ most frenetic weekend
Stanislaus County shamed itself by providing no updates on the coronavirus outbreak over the weekend even as public anxiety reached fever pitch.
People here got no new information Saturday, Sunday or even Monday morning on the fast-moving crisis from our county, which is supposed to be the most trustworthy local clearinghouse for such news.
The Stanislaus County Office of Emergency Services did not return calls Sunday from The Modesto Bee. Unable to rouse any response by phone, a reporter went to the command post and was turned away empty-handed.
Anyone on a computer or cell phone looking for the latest info got similar treatment from the Stanislaus County Health Services Agency, whose website should be the premier go-to source on coronavirus and COVID-19. All weekend long, viewers were greeted by an old video of the public health officer discussing the crisis with a Bee editor — way back on March 2. A chart with the numbers everyone is looking for remained unchanged since Friday, showing two confirmed cases in the county, 22 negative test results and 20 tests still pending.
That’s old news. And in the middle of a public health crisis that’s changing by the hour, that’s unacceptable.
The web site was updated Monday after 1 p.m. to show a third confirmed case here. It’s supposed to be updated no later than noon each day.
Agencies that go dark in the middle of a pandemic simply aren’t doing the job we pay them to do.
When a threat is dangerous enough to change society, “all hands on deck” should become Stanislaus County’s service motto. Coronavirus doesn’t take the weekend off. Nor should they.
Neighboring Merced County updated its numbers Saturday and Sunday. It doesn’t have any confirmed cases yet, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is people knowing that they have the most recent available info.
Since this thing started, parents of schoolchildren have been reassured that school officials were taking their cues on whether to close campuses from the county public health officer, who was responding to protocol standards set by the state. What are people supposed to think when all they hear from the county is crickets?
The Bee learned from various school districts themselves, all under great pressure from parents and teachers, that the districts had decided to close all public schools throughout the county after class this Wednesday. That news then was confirmed by the Stanislaus County Office of Education.
While the president and governor were holding press conferences, and while the CDC was issuing new directives, and while certain European countries were virtually shutting down over the weekend, all we got from our county leaders was radio silence.
No one expects the public health officer to work 24/7. Everyone needs a break, even in these dire times.
When she does go off duty, the public expects someone to take her place, to update numbers, to answer questions and to help us all abide by the “stay calm” advice we keep hearing from government. When no replacement emerges, trust is broken. Fear and hysteria can grow in such a vacuum.
County leaders must stand up and explain why they ignored their people during this crisis’ most frenetic 48 hours so far. They must establish a transparent plan to keep the public informed over the weekend. And they must guarantee that this abysmal betrayal of trust will never happen again.
This story was originally published March 16, 2020 at 1:17 PM.