As the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Orange County topped 7,000 this week, officials said they were worried about the spread of the virus at large protests against police brutality against black people.
“Is it a concern? Absolutely. Do we respect their right to protest? Certainly,” Orange County Executive Officer Frank Kim said at a news conference Thursday. “We would hope that they would do so and use as much caution and safety protocols as reasonably possible.”
Orange County on Friday reported 296 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total to 7,064. The county also reported nine additional deaths, bringing the total to 174.
Health officials said an estimated 3,021 residents have recovered from COVID-19. There were 283 people hospitalized as of Friday, including 123 in intensive care.
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Orange County was quicker than other urban areas, including Los Angeles County, to begin reopening public life. Huge crowds that descended on Orange County beaches at the end of April prompted Gov. Gavin Newsom to temporarily close them — a move that irked local leaders, who responded by suing Newsom. County beaches have since reopened.
In recent days, there have been massive protests across Orange County, as in the rest of the country, over the death of George Floyd, a black man who died May 25 after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes.
“We’re always concerned when we see large gatherings, and I think it’s a real balance between preserving the rights of individuals to express their 1st Amendment rights as well as a desire and a request from the county that individuals do their best to maintain their six feet of social distancing,” Kim said.
Some of the Orange County cities now seeing protests against Floyd’s death are the same ones that saw raucous street demonstrations last month calling for the state to lift coronavirus restrictions.
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The overwhelmingly white makeup of the crowds at the smaller reopening protests last month was not lost on people of color who have been marching the last several days. Some called it an overt display of privilege at a time when a disproportionate number of people who have been infected by and died from COVID-19 in California are black, Latino and poor.
More antiracism protests are planned in Orange County and elsewhere throughout the weekend.
Meanwhile, Orange County has been told by the state it will have to wait to reopen community swimming pools, said Lilly Simmering, assistant director of the county health agency.
A county order requiring face coverings in public, which officials said prompted a death threat against County Health Officer Dr. Nichole Quick last week, remains in place.
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Simmering said that “should our numbers start to look better,” officials would discuss an end date or loosening of the current health order.
Simmering said officials “understand the frustration,” but also that masks are one of the few ways to slow the spread of the disease, for which there is no cure or vaccine. “Your concerns are the same as our concerns,” she said.
She also clarified details of the face covering and distancing rules. “My husband likes to go on long bike rides. He doesn’t have to wear a mask,” Simmering explained.
“You put on a face mask when you cannot maintain the six feet of social distancing. If you can maintain the six feet of social distancing, you have a choice.”
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In Los Angeles County, where half of the approximately 40 government-run COVID-19 testing sites had been shut down at some point amid the protests, all sites were reopened as of Friday, officials said. The closures and resulting drop in the number of people being tested in day will hurt the region’s response to the outbreak, health experts warned.
“We are committed to ensuring that testing is widely available to people who need them,” Dr. Christina Ghaly, director of the L.A. County Department of Health Services, said in a statement.
The Public Policy Institute of California on Wednesday released a new poll showing most Californians were wary of reopening too quickly amid the continuing pandemic.
The poll found widespread support for current statewide restrictions implemented to curb the spread of the virus. Some even want tougher safeguards, and many remain fearful about contracting COVID-19.
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Of those polled, 36% said the virus was the most important issue facing the state today, compared with 23% who said they believed jobs and the economy were the top concerns.
