I'm poaching the Five Man Electrical Band's sole hit song "Signs" for this post about Covid violation fines
Sign, sign, everywhere a sign
Blockin' out the scenery, breakin' my mind
Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign?
And the sign said anybody caught trespassin' would be shot on sight
So I jumped on the fence and-a yelled at the house, "Hey! What gives you the right?"
The Daily Post is leading the way on reporting what SM County Manager Mike Callagy said Wednesday about businesses getting fined for not filing plans with the county or posting signs about social distancing or wearing masks. He said he "didn't have the exact number of tickets that have been handed out but 747 complaints have come into the county about businesses. The county's Board of Supervisors on Aug. 4 approved a set of Covid-related fines for businesses, ranging from $250 to $3,000. He said of the complaints, 24% are from San Mateo, 16% from Redwood City and 10% in Burlingame. The businesses commonly cited are gyms and "tend to operate at night".
Pretty amazing since long time B'gamers are aware of another business that "tends to operate at night" and yet seldom gets cited. Some of these businesses are on the Bayfront and others on the side streets of B'way. We are leading the way here though since San Mateo is 3 1/2 times our size but only has 2 1/2 times as many complaints. OK. Now I'll retract my tongue from my cheek and suggest a) this may not be the best way to go about it, b) does anyone really need a sign to know about wearing a mask and c) can we just leave the gyms to exercise good judgement as the main purveyors of good health in town?
Here is the Saturday update from County data:
Total Cases: 15,468 (+1,320 from last week, rate rising again by about another 400)
R-eff: 1.21 (up 0.07 this week)
Positivity: 3.4% of the pandemic, but oddly showing only 3.0% for the last 30 days. The methodology change has lowered this metric by 2% - it has been 5.4% for a long time.
Burlingame Cases: 347 (+19 for the week, so a bit less than last week.)
Posted by: Joe | December 05, 2020 at 10:09 AM
Here’s what’s gonna happen with the threatened shut down:
With government officials threatening to shorten the time and space in which people can do what they want or need to do during the upcoming holiday season, the result will be that people will do it sooner and faster which will lead to more crowds and more infections.
So, what the result will be is that in about 4 to 10 days from now we will have a real spike and officials will wonder what’s going on. They will declare the shut down must lengthen due to their actions of trying to control human nature through government edict.
Posted by: Cassandra | December 05, 2020 at 11:22 AM
2020 Flu influenza epidemic is sending people to hospitals and urgent-care centers in every state not Corona Virus as much anymore. Get your flu shot if you are high risk.
Posted by: Bay Area Legal | December 05, 2020 at 01:15 PM
Also this emphasis on ICU beds seems misleading. Can't a lot of Covid hospitalizations be handled just fine at a lower level of care?
Posted by: resident | December 05, 2020 at 05:56 PM
Looks like I'm reading the numbers similarly to how Scott Morrow is reading the numbers:
San Mateo County health officials opted to not align with the state’s shelter-in-place order ahead of when required, standing in opposition of six other Bay Area jurisdictions that will begin voluntarily shutting down business operations to curb the rapid spread of COVID-19.
Bay Area health officers held a meeting Thursday night to discuss the move. Ultimately, San Mateo County Health Officer Dr. Scott Morrow decided to not place further restrictions on the county until required under the state system. In a statement released Friday, San Mateo County officials cited an interest in working with businesses and residents to slow the surge.
“I have confidence in Dr. Morrow who’s tracking this every hour,” said Slocum. “Our good doctor didn’t go along with the preference of the group, so be it. … Let’s hold the course. People have the power to address this.”
Alternatively, Supervisor David Canepa, said he respectfully disagrees with the decision to remain open, adding he and his family would be taking extra precautions.
https://www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/san-mateo-county-opts-to-stay-open/article_efe775c6-36b4-11eb-b907-ff5b12403a84.html
Dear Supe Canepa, I think that IS THE POINT!
Posted by: Joe | December 05, 2020 at 06:25 PM
Guys, Bruce Dickinson, as you know is a voracious reader and it really befuddles me what our state officials are actually reading. There some global studies, with huge sample sizes that pretty much irrefutably demonstrate that lockdown policies have zero correlation to infection, spread and deaths.
What the very pro-lockdown people fail to account for is that the more the indoor/at home time is encouraged, people at home will continue to have gatherings rather than going outside in a safe manner (with masks), which can paradoxically increase the spread of COVID. Unfortunately, viral transmission is an extremely complex system and any sort of modeling or policy prescription has shown no real ability to predict or prevent spread.
Bruce Dickinson thinks that San Mateo County by not following the other counties will be an interesting experiment: We will see if San Mateo County COVID statistics will end up being relatively worse vs other counties.
My prediction: they won't be!
Posted by: Bruce Dickinson | December 06, 2020 at 01:08 PM
Good for Slocum. Morrow is going to need a kevlar flack jacket to get through the next month. And the reality of it won't be known until February right or wrong.
Posted by: Snitch Door Sam | December 06, 2020 at 07:55 PM
Wear a mask and social distance.
Be careful and listen to real scientists like Dr. Morrow.
Pay no attention to political hacks like Newsom. He never even had a high school science course.
Posted by: Libertarian | December 06, 2020 at 08:09 PM
Reading the comment to wear a mask I was going to add my counter opinion that it is near worthless, and most likely counter-productive. And then I read the next sentence about Newsom not even having a high school science course and I was going to include that as something additional to disagree with you, since I'd figure it impossible to not graduate high school without at least one science course.
So I went to wikipedia to read about Newsom. The guy may not have been able to do a science course. You might be right about that.
Posted by: MBGA | December 07, 2020 at 08:57 AM
Dr. Morrows letter on Nextdoor is impressive in regard to why he is not presently shutting down the county.
Posted by: Peter Garrison | December 07, 2020 at 01:53 PM
Here it is straight from the source: https://www.smchealth.org/health-officer-updates/december-7-2020-health-officer-statement
Highlights:
What are some reasons that San Mateo County hasn’t decided, so far, to advance the implementation of the State’s SAH order like some other Bay Area counties have?
1. I may have a different view of the power and authority I have, as a function of my position, than some of my colleagues.
2. I’m not sure we know what we’re doing. (Please don’t misinterpret this sentence. The science and public health principles around disease transmission interruption – no gathering, mask wearing, social distancing, etc. – are clear. I’m referring to how to get you, the community, to change your behavior). I look at surrounding counties who have been much more restrictive than I have been, and wonder what it’s bought them. Now, some of them, are in a worse spot than we are.
3. Surely a hard, enforced, SAH order will certainly drive down transmission rates. But what we have before us is a symbolic gesture, it appears to be style over substance, without any hint of enforcement, and I simply don’t believe it will do much good.
4. Being in the purple tier, the State has already put significant restrictions on businesses and the public space in San Mateo County. I am aware of no data that some of the business activities on which even greater restrictions are being put into place with this new order are the major drivers of transmission.
5. I don’t see us (governmental public health) looking at data other than case rates and positivity rates and hospital rates in order to make balanced decisions. When you only look at one thing, you only see one thing.
-------------
There are 10 more so click through to see the whole piece.
Posted by: Joe | December 07, 2020 at 04:03 PM
I am 9 months into this grind. I'm too tired to pontificate except to say that if you, like MBGA, believe that masks are "worthless," or worse, "counter-productive," can you please just stay home and away from the rest of us?
I'd really like to spend some quality time with my octogenarian parent before she dies.
Thanks!
Your friendly neighbor and ICU nurse
Posted by: Fugit All | December 07, 2020 at 10:11 PM
When this is over, Dr. Morrow should run for governor. He has more smarts and a sense of restraint than 99.99% of politicians.
Posted by: Handle Bard | December 08, 2020 at 05:07 PM
You know Joe, even Facebook does not allow Disinformation to be Posted on their site anymore.
Posted by: [email protected] | December 08, 2020 at 05:39 PM
I vote for holyroller as the most 'special needs' poster on this site. (Because we are not allowed to use the 'R' word anymore.)
I am hoping he/she/it is an only child.
Ask me what I really think!
Posted by: Paloma Ave | December 08, 2020 at 06:11 PM
Disinformation: noun, information that one does not like and thus believes it should be censored, deleted, or cancelled regardless of its veracity or lack thereof.
Let Fakebook do its thing, we will do ours. That is why the Voice exists--it's the anti-Fakebook.
Now onto more information. I just read about this cool device that Squaw Valley has installed called a "high-demand electrostatic sanitizing sprayer". It disinfects areas around the resort, with the ability to sanitize up to 23,000 square feet on one tank. Electrostatically charged disinfectant clings to multidimensional hard and soft surfaces, providing consistent and lasting disinfection.
Sounds like we could use a couple hundred of these in the County-- churches, restaurants, grocery stores, etc.
@Handle Bard, right on. Morrow makes Newsom look like...well, what he is. A politician out of his depth.
Posted by: Joe | December 08, 2020 at 07:40 PM
And for the record, @Fugit All, I'm wearing a mask in every situation that calls for it (by definition by the State) and don't find it to be burdensome. In some ways, regardless of its efficacy, it keeps Covid front-of-mind for everyone. All good and thank you for your work.
Could you address a question that came up earlier as to the need for a full ICU for Covid cases? I'm more familar with them than I would like to be and it just seems like there is more equipment, expertise and attention than is needed for a Covid case. But what do I know, that's why I'm asking.
Posted by: Joe | December 08, 2020 at 07:46 PM
Dr. Morrow's comments (both this most recent one) and prior ones are very well thought out, extremely sensible/reasonable and balanced. And coming from Bruce Dickinson (about a government official no less), it means a lot!
He seriously needs a major promotion to run the State Dept of Health or maybe a national office...the comparison to the imbeciles currently running equivalent departments across many states and even at the national level couldn't be more stark.
It's during times of crisis where real leadership is truly defined. I think history will view Dr. Morrow very favorably. San Mateo County is lucky to have him.
Posted by: Bruce Dickinson | December 08, 2020 at 08:30 PM
What do you really think?
Posted by: [email protected] | December 09, 2020 at 08:58 AM
I feel nothing but sympathy and concern for your disdain for people that are disabled.
Be it Special Needs, Wounded Warriors, or victims of Pandemics, and Religious strife.
Dear Paloma Ave., Have a Merry Christmas.
Posted by: [email protected] | December 09, 2020 at 09:08 AM
I feel for citizens that have to endure "leadership" from very weak and flawed politicians, like Gavin Newsom.
However, there is a solution.
https://recallgavin2020.com/petition/
Please leverage your rights for a recall.
Posted by: Libertarian | December 09, 2020 at 09:19 PM
Thanks Libertarian! Not sure how successful the recall petition will be but I did I feel better after signing it.
Posted by: Everything's Jake | December 10, 2020 at 07:46 AM
Signed it months ago.
But our county and much of the state are using Dominion voting machines.
From the sos.ca.gov
California Counties that use Dominion:
Alameda, Butte, Contra Costa, Colusa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn, Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Marin, Mono, Monterey, Napa, Placer, Plumas, Riverside, Sacramento, San Benito, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Siskiyou, Sonoma, Sutter, Tehama, Tulare, Tuolumne, Ventura, and Yuba.
Posted by: MBGA | December 10, 2020 at 08:34 AM
https://recallgavin2020.com/petition/
Please print out the petition online. Sign it. Get your friends to sign it. Send it in.
I never agreed for this state to become a sanctuary state! People who should have been deported, but were not. They have gone on to kill people here, most recently in San Jose.
We need to get rid of Newsom, your life may depend on it.
Posted by: Paloma Ave | December 10, 2020 at 09:23 AM
How about Trump for Governor?
Posted by: [email protected] | December 10, 2020 at 04:10 PM