No area of the North State has been hit harder than Glenn County. With officially 122 cases among just more than 28,000 residents, the proportion of people infected is considerably higher than elsewhere.
Last week, all bars were ordered closed and restaurants were forced to switch back to delivery, or pick up only. For more, NSPR’s Marc Albert reached out to Amy Travis, deputy director of the county’s Office of Emergency Services.
Here are highlights from their conversation. You can also listen at the top of the page.
Interview Highlights
On the current case counts in Glenn County
So currently in Glenn County, we have 48 cases, active cases of COVID-19. We have six people in the hospital now. Those people, their age ranges are 62 to 77 years old. So they are in the senior category. And we have 42 people in self isolation at home, recovering from the illness at home.
We're at 143 total cases now. We had some new cases over the weekend. So 95 are recovered, 48 active.
On the county’s high test positivity rate
Yeah, you know, so we've been working with the state on that and the reason why our positivity rate is so high is we have very little health care facilities over here. And so we did not receive a state testing site like many of the other larger counties did. So we've been having to really focus on testing those that are actively symptomatic or contacts to a direct case. So that is driving up our positivity rate.
On why people aren’t getting tested
They can be tested in any county if their physical address is a resident of Glenn County, we will get the report. However, we just have very little healthcare infrastructure and not very many people have been going out of their way to test unless they've been in contact with a case. And that's something we've been really trying to focus on, on our messaging to our public — to get people to go and get tested, even if they're not feeling sick.
On types of messaging they’ve been putting out
We've really been utilizing our social media outlets to increase information out there that people can be walking around and not know that they have the virus. And so it's really encouraged that you get tested and especially if you have been in contact with a case or been near a case that you do be tested so that way we're not continuing this unknown spread of the disease.
However, I think it's just it really comes down to resources. So when you have to get in the car and drive 30-40 minutes to go get tested, and you can't just show up at the site to get tested. You have to have an appointment in advance. It really decreases the want to go do that, especially if you're not sick at that point in time.
On the Fourth of July weekend
I really don't think anybody kept anything on the downlow here. You know, I noticed I drove around the county that evening and there was many backyard barbecue-style gatherings, and it was not just unique to one county. I also drove through parts of Butte County, and it was just very evident that people are wanting to get together with their families and friends.
And unfortunately, we're in the middle of an outbreak of COVID. And it does spread very easily, and sometimes unknowingly, at these family gatherings. So you know, it's likely that we will see continued spread due to that.
On the two food processing plants that saw COVID-19 outbreaks
So yes, we did have two work sites that were involved. The meat packing facility is free and clear of COVID. Now they done a really good job of eradicating that. The cheese company does still have some cases there. They have been really good about decreasing their production rates and so it eliminates the amount of staff that's on shift at a time. They've worked with the health department to increase sanitation of the facility and ensure there's social distancing at break areas that are outside now rather than indoor break and lunch areas and added additional hygiene stations, hand washing stations, and are requiring masks inside, so it has slowed the continual spread in the facility.
On the state’s order to re-close bars and indoor restaurants in Glenn County
It's really difficult to see our small businesses ordered to close. Many of these businesses barely make it month to month and so it is hard for us to tell them to close. The restaurants did very good. All of them did either change to take out or pickup options, a couple have outdoor seating, so they switched to that. They were all in compliance. We did have some text from the governor's state enforcement task force this weekend. As far as I know, none of the restaurants were out of compliance. We did have some bars that were shut down. One had not shut down after notification and so they were, I believe they had some contact with one of the state task force and then have resulted in shutting down.
On whether people are complying with safety precautions
I think the compliance rate has actually gone up. I think as we see more cases in the county, it becomes more real to people. It's not something you're just seeing on TV. In a small community like this, you likely know someone or know somebody that's a friend of somebody or related to someone that has it. And so to have that reality set in, that it is here and that you can easily get it, has increased the hygiene and the mask wearing. We have noted that when we've been out in public lately that more people are wearing masks. So we're hoping that does help mitigate that spread of disease as we move through this space.
This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity. Click the “play” button to listen to the entire interview.