Mask Order In Orange County Under Scrutiny By OC Supervisors

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — With stores and restaurants in the initial stages of reopening, Just what are the mandatory mask orders in Orange County? Over the weekend, in cities across the county people both wore or refused to wear masks. The question is, are mask orders being enforced by anyone other than store owners? and should they be?

During Tuesday's board of supervisors meeting, Supervisor Don Wagner reacted to a statement from the Orange County Health Care Agency's Dr. Clayton Chau, and a recent outcry over the Orange County Health Care Agency's order on masks.

Orange County Health Care Agency has called for masks, and enforcement of the wearing of them.

In answer, Supervisor Don Wagner alluded to the absurdity of a rule for wearing masks, even during protests against wearing masks. "Good luck with that," he said.

Not all stores are created equal when it comes to mask recommendations or mandates, and not all cities are, either. According to OC Healthcare's Dr. Chau, the mask order would be "clarified" and updated to reflect new orders from Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday allowing hair salons to reopen and churches to begin holding services again next month.

"I think there has been a misunderstanding on how people read the (mask) order," Chau said.

According to Chau, the intent was to "tell residents to wear a mask or face covering" when they cannot keep 6 feet away from others who are not part of their family.

"So the important piece here is if you are not able to keep (6 feet) of distance is when you must wear a mask," Chau said.

Wagner, however, said he was "appalled" when he read Quick's order. He said there is a double standard between big-box stores and small businesses.

"This is discrimination against our smaller establishments," Wagner said. "This order is nonsense from soup to nuts, and it's being forced on us while the state is (backing off on it)."

Steel said, "We always undermine our Orange County residents. They're much smarter than all the elected ones." Steel, however, did not appear to understand that people can transmit the virus even though they have not shown symptoms.

"Wearing masks is not to protect yourself," Chau said. "Wearing masks is to protect others. That's key number one.... Number two, you don't know if you have the infection because you're asymptomatic."

Steel then asked if an asymptomatic resident can transmit the virus, and Chau confirmed they can. He also corrected her on the significance of testing to show antibodies "because the first seven to 14 days you are infected you might not produce the antibody."

The virus is transmitted by droplets emitted from coughing, sneezing or speaking, Chau said. A mask "is stopping the droplets from going out into the air," he said.

Supervisor Andrew Do, who was the first on the board to advocate for face coverings in early April, noted that the county "almost invites insurrection" with a face mask mandate.

Sheriff Don Barnes said he would take an "education first" approach to the face mask issue. He told the supervisors he did not intend to be the "face mask police."

"We heard from the sheriff, and it's difficult for a health officer to enforce an order the people don't subscribe to," Do said.

He encouraged Quick to modify her order, which cannot be overturned by the board. Quick was given the authority to hand down such orders during an emergency.

Orange County on Tuesday reported 110 new cases of COVID-19 and a jump in hospitalizations, but the death toll was unchanged at 131.

The number of people hospitalized with the coronavirus increased from 198 to 269, with the number of patients in intensive care climbing from 69 to 106.

Chau said 19 of the patients were from out of the county as Orange County's hospitals help with overflow from neighboring counties.

The total number of confirmed cases rose to 5,578, while the number of people tested for the virus since the pandemic began stood at 105,138.

Officials say 52 of the deaths come from skilled nursing facilities.

The county, meanwhile, continued moving forward with its Phase 2 reopening of businesses, including in-restaurant dining and shopping centers, after receiving the go-ahead from Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The following types of businesses were permitted to move forward with reopening plans as of 12:01 a.m. Saturday:

• restaurants (in-person dining);
• retail;
• manufacturing (detailed at https://covid19.ca.gov/roadmap);
• offices
• outdoor museums.

The Orange County Sheriff's Department announced Monday that 369 inmates have tested positive since March, with 302 having recovered and others asymptomatic. Fifteen of the inmates are currently sick and in medical isolation. Officials are awaiting the results of 47 tests.

Full coronavirus coverage: Coronavirus In California: What To Know

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