Humboldt County’s Public Well being Officer Dr. Teresa Frankovich has been answering questions for the reason that stay-at-home orders had been instituted on a two query per media outlet roughly one to 2 instances per week foundation. The Emergency Operations Heart takes the questions, and employees reads them on digital camera for his or her response. The ensuing video, known as a Media Availability, is then supplied to information retailers on the finish of the day.
Listed below are a number of the details lined within the October 1st Media Availability session with a abstract of solutions from Dr. Teresa Frankovich, adopted by questions we’d have preferred to ask in response if acceptable.
EOC: We’ve obtained a number of comparable questions and we’ll be answering just one model of every query as a result of time and different limitations. We are going to present an inventory of all questions with the e-mail this afternoon.
Query by The North Coast Journal: State steering for establishments of upper schooling states that selections concerning the resumption of athletics ought to be made in collaboration with native public well being officers. Are you able to element what communications Humboldt State College and San Jose State College have had with you or Public Well being employees about plans to relocate SJSU soccer to the North Coast and whether or not Public Well being was included within the resolution making course of?
Reply by Dr. Frankovich:
So, Public Well being was not part of the choice making course of. I’ve not been contacted by San Jose State College. Nevertheless, I used to be contacted yesterday by the Emergency Preparedness Coordinator for Humboldt State College, to let me know concerning the plan to maneuver ahead. And I’ve since had some exchanges, with you already know, simply questions and issues like that and clarification.
They’ve supplied a plan that San Jose State had created of their facility, and so we’re reviewing that plan.
1 minutes 25 sec in:
Query by The North Coast Journal: Santa Clara County Public Well being officers have thus far declined to approve San Jose State College’s plans to renew full contact soccer practices and video games and expressed considerations concerning the staff’s “going exterior the county to bypass a course of that was put in place to make sure the protection of its gamers and employees.” Do you share these considerations and have you ever seen SJSU’s “Return to Soccer” proposal?
Reply by Dr. Frankovich:
So, you already know Santa Clara County as I perceive it really has an order in place which prohibits contact sports activities. Now domestically the place we function underneath the youth steering, youth sports activities steering proper now that does, additionally prohibits the contact sports activities in youngsters in our neighborhood. Within the resolution and launch of the faculty athletic steering from CDPH, the preliminary one and this one, it does open the door to contact sport participation in these older people, older college students, and so I feel Santa Clara County is sitting in a little bit totally different place than we’re as we would not have that broad order in opposition to contact sports activities.
In addition they, I imagine, are in the next tier when it comes to their transmission inside Santa Clara County. So, I perceive their points there, when it comes to permitting this and the necessity for, you already know, sure issues to be modified earlier than it will be attainable there.
on our finish I, at this level, I feel we have to deal with primarily ensuring that this transfer is one that’s seamless in Humboldt County. That it has minimal influence on our county and by supporting the trouble to construct good security plans round this, to make sure that satisfactory testing is being finished, aiding with contact investigations and, you already know, simply kind of monitoring the progress of all this, I feel will, will assist to guarantee that the athletes themselves, college students at HSU, college and our neighborhood broadly will you already know not be impacted.
3 minutes 35 sec in:
Query by The North Coast Journal: Will Public Well being have a job in testing SJSU soccer gamers and employees — both by gathering or processing samples — or contact investigations if there are constructive assessments? If that’s the case, what is going to that position be?
Reply by Dr. Frankovich:
My understanding is that the staff and/or HSU will probably be accountable for the testing that will probably be required and we’re reviewing the testing necessities which can be in varied useful resource paperwork proper now and we will probably be concerned in touch investigations as a result of that’s really a central position for Public Well being on this pandemic and so HSU thus far has been aiding when HSU college students turn out to be unwell or check constructive and they also have made clear that they’ll proceed that course of.
4 minutes 30 sec in:
Query by The North Coast Journal: There was lots of frustration in the local people and elsewhere that many youth sports activities stay prohibited or considerably restricted. Do you are feeling like there are fairness points at play when main collegiate soccer conferences resolve to return to play — with varied establishments making extraordinary efforts to make that occur — whereas native excessive faculties and youth leagues can’t?
Reply by Dr. Frankovich:
Properly, I assume the brief reply to that’s sure. I actually assume that you already know skilled sports activities groups and schools and universities most likely have a little bit bit extra clout in a few of these arenas than do native sports activities in Okay-12 faculties for instance.
5 minutes 15 secs in:
Query by The North Coast Journal: State steering outlines a variety of danger components related to the return of athletics, together with the variety of folks in a location at one time, the gap or bodily contact between folks, size of time at a location and the touching of shared objects, amongst different issues. The place would you place soccer on a danger scale with regards to COVID-19 transmission?
Dr. Frankovich:
Properly once more, one of many causes that the that sports activities total when it comes to ok by means of 12 and up have been deferred till additional alongside on this pandemic is due to considerations about shut contact over an prolonged time frame and definitely amongst athletes who’re respiratory closely working arduous at the moment and are actually typically talking not capable of be masked and so there there are actually considerations there and I..you already know, I place it you already know additional on the continuum of danger of publicity than I might another sports activities for instance reminiscent of you already know singles tennis or golf for instance.
So sure, it does actually carry the next danger with these extra intensely contact sports activities.
6 minutes 35 sec in:
Query by Redheaded Blackbelt: Do you see this as growing the hazard of catching COVID in our neighborhood? Why or why not?
Reply by Dr. Frankovich:
Properly, I’m hopeful that with security plans in place, good adherence to these plans, and with testing supplied by the staff, good contact tracing investigation, that any circumstances will probably be contained as we’ve been working to do all through this pandemic in Humboldt County.
Media Followup questions we’re unable to ask due to the format:
- Would you please make clear your desire, and provides your skilled opinion relating to the supply from HSU?
7 minutes 5 sec in:
Query by The Occasions-Normal: What are Dr. Frankovich’s ideas on further of us coming to Humboldt State — i.e. dorms getting used for firefighters and 135 staff members and employees from San Jose? Are there considerations about further folks from out of the realm staying domestically amid the pandemic? Are the people who find themselves utilizing HSU services from out of the realm requested to quarantine and is that tracked by the county?
Reply by Dr. Frankovich:
So you already know we do have to acknowledge that we now have a lot of folks shifting out and in of our county, we now have you already know starting from evacuees to you already know household vacationers to tourism and journey for every kind of cause. We actually have requested that journey be restricted as a result of we perceive that it introduces danger into the neighborhood however that being stated, we actually nonetheless see fairly a little bit of motion out and in.
The people who find themselves arriving from San Jose State, I are you aware, I’m anticipating that they’ll abide by the entire security precautions that we’re asking from all of our residents right here. We actually, of their plan, they’re proposing to check earlier than they arrive right here and to check once more shortly after they arrive and I feel that will probably be useful. Right now I didn’t see something within the plan about an preliminary quarantine interval, nevertheless I do know that the people will probably be housed in a dormitory that’s separate from the remainder of the scholar inhabitants and you already know so that ought to assist the scenario as properly.
8 minutes 45 sec in:
Query by The Occasions-Normal: Are there any components that tie the deaths from COVID-19 in Humboldt County collectively? Have been there commonalities? Will the names of the deceased be launched to the media at any level much like the primary 4 deaths?
Reply by Dr. Frankovich:
So, I might say that when it comes to the deaths that we’ve needed to date I feel the commonality could be that people have been I imagine of their 60s and older and we actually know that older people are increased danger for severe issues of COVID, in order that’s not notably shocking.
I don’t recall Public Well being releasing the names of any of the deceased people, nevertheless that info might have turn out to be public afterwards so no, I don’t envision Public Well being releasing names.
9 minutes 40 sec in:
Query by Misplaced Coast Outpost: Has public well being reviewed coaching plans, lodging/accomodations plans, or some other plans related to the San Jose State soccer staff’s short-term relocation to Humboldt County for follow?
Reply by Reply by Dr. Frankovich:
What I’ve in hand proper now could be once more the San Jose’s preliminary plan which I feel will need to have been crafted this over the summer time as a result of it features a coaching plans starting in July and so there are so I’ve that in hand and I’ve had some exchanges once more with the emergency preparedness coordinator at HSU who has conveyed details about lodging for people and kind of these housing plans for isolation quarantine, these kinds of issues, in order that’s the data at hand proper now.
10 minutes 30 sec in:
Query by Misplaced Coast Outpost: At Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors assembly you talked about that the state is taking a look at “wildcards” which may permit some counties like ours to maneuver right into a much less restrictive tier. Are you able to elaborate?
Reply by Dr. Frankovich:
Certain. It’s a great piece of stories for Humboldt, this metric, we, the state wished to make sure that folks throughout the breadth of the neighborhood are accessing testing, that we don’t have pockets of underserved people in our neighborhood. The means they’re developing this metric is that they have a look at the census tract in our county with the very best positivity fee and the bottom and they wish to be sure that there’s little or no distinction between these two census tracts. And in our case the information we now have in hand at the moment means that we’re doing very properly on that that, there’s little or no distinction throughout our county when it comes to that entry so, or positivity charges, so I anticipate that we can profit from this metric within the sense of shifting right into a yellow tier except we see an outbreak type of or a big cluster of circumstances within the very close to future, I feel we’ll know extra subsequent week.
11 minutes 40 sec in:
Query by San Jose Mercury Information: Did Humboldt County approve the college’s settlement to play host to SJSU soccer’s staff?
Reply by Dr. Frankovich:
Properly, once more, Public Well being wasn’t concerned within the dialog.
12 minutes 35 sec in:
Query by San Jose Mercury Information: Did Humboldt County officers place any particular restrictions on the actions of the soccer staff on the sphere or off the sphere?
Reply by Dr. Frankovich:
So once more as a result of we simply obtained the plan yesterday and are reviewing that in addition to the brand new state steering CDPH simply launched final evening a brand new revised steering on faculty athletics that we’re reviewing, there may be additionally a kind of Pac-10 plan in place for or I’m sorry Pac-12 proper plan in place for exercise, and so we’re actually having to overview all of these paperwork proper now and have a look at what is roofed in there, what is just not, and what is smart for Humboldt.
12 minutes 40 sec in:
Query by San Jose Mercury Information: The county has had PSA messaging all summer time about limiting exterior guests coming to the county. Why is that this exception being granted?
Reply by Dr. Frankovich:
Properly, once more, Public Well being was not a part of this resolution on the time.
Media Followup questions we’re unable to ask due to the format:
- Are you involved that HSU’s administration has uncared for their accountability to maintain Humboldt college students (and residents alike) protected, by extending this explicit invitation?
13 minutes in:
Query by San Jose Mercury Information: How will the county monitor the soccer staff to make sure it acts inside countywide pointers relating to the novel coronavirus? And what would the sanctions be if the staff was discovered to violate stated pointers?
Reply by Dr. Frankovich:
So I do know from trying on the plan submitted that there’s language in there about actions which can be thought of increased danger, as an illustration events, and that people who take part in high-risk actions could also be required to quarantine for seven days. So, I did observe that within the plan. There may very well be one thing further there that I’m not recalling in the meanwhile.
Once more we’re within the place proper now of making an attempt to develop any further steering that we expect is likely to be wanted. However the…onus for the conduct of the…gamers and you already know simply as you already know is on the gamers themselves and clearly the college itself to implement you already know conduct that’s protected that we require in Humboldt County as an illustration reminiscent of use of facial coverings and that’s required all through the state in addition to social distancing and all of these different preventive measures that we speak about.
Neighborhood members with questions or considerations are inspired to name 441-5000 for extra info.
For the latest state and nationwide COVID-19 info, go to cdc.gov or cdph.ca.gov.
Native info is out there on the Humboldt County COVID-19 Information Dashboard: humboldtgov.org/dashboard, on Fb @HumCoCOVID19, Instagram @HumCoCOVID19, Twitter @HumCoCOVID19, and Humboldt Well being Alert humboldtgov.org/HumboldtHealthAlert
