Mono County News: May 11
Six new cases of COVID-19 prevent Mono County from reopening businesses.
Six new cases of COVID-19 prevent Mono County from reopening businesses; State projections increase with movement around the state
By Monica Prelle
Mono County reported six new positive cases of the coronavirus in the week ending on May 10, which disqualifies the county from moving forward in stage two according to the state’s criteria.
In a statement on Monday afternoon, Mono County Public Health Officer Dr. Tom Boo said that he “is concerned about the number of new cases and complete investigation is essential.”
The new cases, which are all in the Mammoth area, were identified through contact tracing. All of the patients were asymptomatic and none have been hospitalized.
Last week the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced readiness criteria for regional variances to move forward in stage two, which includes retail businesses and restaurant table service.
One of the criteria for local variance is no more than one case per 10,000 people within 14 days of attestation. With a population of 14,000 residents and now eight positive cases in the past two weeks, that puts Mono County at five times the state limit.
But before the recent cases were confirmed, the Mono County Board of Supervisors had agreed to ask the state for a variance, even though it did not qualify at that time either.
“The mountains are calling, and our visitors are coming, whether we’re open or not,” Supervisor Stacy Corless wrote to the governor. “We need to be able to manage the visitation that is happening now and prepare for the bigger numbers of vacationers that we can expect when Yosemite National Park and other attractions open.”
Now with the new cases, Supervisor Corless says that asking for a variance is more complicated. But the uptick is not just in Mono County.
California reported more than 2,000 new cases and nearly 100 deaths over the weekend. Rising cases and deaths are outpacing previous projections.
Dr. Christopher Murray, the director of the Institute for Health Metrics at the University of Washington, told CBS “Face the Nation” on Sunday that projections are up because of an increase in movement.
“We’re seeing increases in mobility, in anticipation of the relaxation of social distancing,” Dr. Murray said. “There’s definitely a correlation. The places that are taking off the social distancing mandate, the bump in mobility appears to be larger.”
Dr. Boo is asking the community to keep in mind that the virus is still here in Mono County and reminding residents that more infections will occur as movement, business, and social activity increase. The movement and increase of cases will only prolong reopening.
Mono County is currently reporting one death from the coronavirus, 32 positive cases, 304 negative; a total of 337 tests have been administered.
Inyo County, which includes Toiyabe Indian Healthcare Project, is currently reporting one death, 19 confirmed positive cases of the coronavirus, 335 negative, 9 tests pending, and 363 total tests administered.
—
Monica Prelle is a Mammoth Lakes-based independent journalist.
Subscribe to get a free weekly email round-up of the latest Mono County news directly in your inbox. Follow on Facebook for daily updates directly in your feed.
If you like what you read, please consider sharing with people who care about the region as much as you do. Your support is essential to keeping independent local journalism going.