Who Has To Wear Face Coverings In Orange County: Report

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — After a lull, rising coronavirus totals took some by surprise in Orange County. After Easter, officials were were "cautiously optimistic" about the trends after only nine new cases were reported. By Thursday, with six more deaths and over 130 new cases have residents rethinking their social distancing and mask-wearing.

The Orange County board of supervisors spent much time discussing the issue that many cities are taking into their own hands. On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution amplifying a recommendation from Orange County's chief health officer, Dr. Nichole Quick, "strongly encouraging" face coverings for all Orange County workers at essential businesses that remain open during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The resolution calls on grocery and drug store workers to wear face coverings and to wash their hands every 30 minutes or whenever necessary. Something Supervisor Andrew Do says is not perfect, but a good step in the right direction.

This week, Orange County Supervisor Lisa Bartlett said she understands how some residents are eager to get back to work and school, but also thinks officials need to be careful about lifting stay-at-home restrictions too soon.

"I think people are venting their frustration because they're tired of being self-isolated and cooped up in their homes," Bartlett told City News Service. "But by the same token, it's our responsibility to keep our residents safe. That's job number one. I ask for everyone's patience as we work through this process. We want to be back to business as soon as possible, but public health will drive that decision."

Supervisor Don Wagner at Tuesday's board meeting noted that other coronaviruses such as MERS and SARS were more deadly than COVID-19 so far.

Bartlett contends it is the rapid spread of the virus, which is the real problem.

"(The virus) is three times more contagious than the flu," Bartlett said. "And with the prior coronaviruses, we weren't on statewide lockdowns. We don't even have a vaccine for the coronavirus at this point."

California's decision to begin stay-at-home measures earlier than any other state has helped California flatten the curve.

According to Bartlett, our state led the charge in the nation "to self-isolate and social distance as quickly as possible to make sure our 40 million residents in the state of California were safe."

But can we tell if mask-wearing and social distance practices are working to slow the spread of the virus? A recent report from Live Science posits that a true curve-flattening will not exist until all state residents are tested.

Supervisor Doug Chaffee proposed the accepted Tuesday face mask resolution for grocery workers.

Supervisor Andrew Do, whose attempt to require face coverings for food industry workers failed last week, said he supported Chaffee's resolution because "I don't want the perfect to get in the way of the good." Still, he encouraged the board to consider strengthening the recommendations.

Bartlett said the resolution should cover all essential businesses open at the time, but Chaffee said he wanted to propose what he was confident would gain all of the board's support.

Costa Mesa City Manager Lori Ann Farrell Harrison issued an emergency regulation mandating facial coverings in the city. The City Council will consider ratifying the order at its April 21 meeting, Mayor Katrina Foley told City News Service.

The city's ordinance would "mandate it for all people in public places and essential businesses," Foley said.

Many businesses were already requiring shoppers to wear face coverings, Foley said.

Note: Public health departments have said that children under the age of 2 should not wear face masks. Children from 2 to 8 years old should wear masks only under parent supervision. Children with asthma or other breathing problems should not wear masks.

On Friday, Irvine City Council members unanimously approved an ordinance requiring retail store workers to wear face coverings and to compel their customers to do so as well. Store managers are required to maintain 6 feet of distance between patrons and workers, Irvine Mayor Christina Shea said.

The ordinance remains in effect until May 8, but the City Council may consider extending it depending on the circumstances then, Shea said.
"It's kind of a soft launch," the mayor said of enforcement. "We want them to voluntarily comply."

Store operators will receive a warning initially, but if they fail to abide by the ordinance, they could face a $500 fine per day, Shea said.

City News Service, Patch editor Ashley Ludwig contributed to this report.

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