The San Mateo County health officer lambasted those flouting shelter-in-place rules Monday, writing in an unrestrained letter that residents “spit in our face” by leaving home unnecessarily.
At times bordering on the Shakespearean, Dr. Scott Morrow gave a dire warning on the county’s health website Monday: By leaving home, you will increase the Bay Area’s COVID-19 fatalities.
“If you decide you want to do your own thing and follow your own rules, you disrespect us all. You spit in our face, and you will contribute to the death toll that will follow,” Morrow wrote. “For those of you who say: ‘nobody tells me what to do,’ now is a time to make an exception. You can go back to being ornery in the future.”
San Mateo County had identified 142 COVID-19 cases as of Monday, with those numbers expected to grow exponentially in the coming weeks. That represented more than a 200% jump since the previous week, when the county had confirmed just 42 cases. One person has died so far.
In other words, Morrow said, “we are in a grave crisis.”
But many people aren’t taking the county and statewide shelter-in-place order seriously, he said, prompting the letter.
Morrow reminded residents that friends — and families — should not gather outside their immediate households. And he criticized those who flocked to beaches and state parks over the weekend, writing that people should not leave their own neighborhoods for recreation lest they spread the virus further.
As for goods and services, he added, residents should both lower their expectations for instant gratification while patronizing businesses they care about.
“I deeply understand the hardships and frustrations these measures place on you and your families,” Morrow said. “These measures will be temporary, but they may be in place longer than you would like. What I need for you to do now is follow my recommendations, advice and orders, unite as a community, come to each other’s aid, and let kindness, compassion, and gratitude guide your actions.”
