Sherman R. Frederick
Marinscope
Marin and California will transition its response to COVID-19 from treating it less like a “pandemic” and more like an “endemic.”
Marin’s COVID19 response guru, Dr. Matt Willis, who has guided the county into one of the best prepared COVID response places in America, issued that nuanced message in his weekly talk on Jan. 25.
When a virus is a pandemic, it means it is spreading faster and broader than expected. When it is in endemic mode, it means it is occurring as “expected or normal,” Willis said.
That’s where Marin is now and going forward, Willis said, “we will follow the best science.”
This change in terminology doesn’t mean that COVID-19 will disappear or become rare. It also doesn’t mean that at times mandatory wearing of masks, or stricter rules, won’t be required. It means we’ll find “layered approaches” to live with the virus as has been done with the flu and other viruses. ‘
Gov. Gavin Newsom echoed that idea last week, saying the state is “preparing an endemic strategy.”
MASK CONFUSION
Although the Omicron wave appears to have peaked in California, different parts of the state are reacting differently. San Francisco, for example, announced fully vaccinated people no longer have to mask up in gyms and offices, while unvaccinated residents can enter indoor restaurants, gyms, bars and sports arenas as long as they have proof of a recent negative test. However, Oakland began requiring proof of vaccination to enter indoor restaurants, bars, theaters and other businesses.
Marin County quickly reminded residents that Marin adheres to the California’s statewide mask mandate, which requires that all people, regardless of vaccination status, wear face coverings in indoor public spaces and workplaces.
The contrasting approaches raised questions about how California might have better handled the Omicron surge. CalMatters last week reported on whether the state could have struck a more effective balance between keeping workers safe, curtailing the worst of the spread and avoiding cascading labor shortages?
Lawmakers in Sacramento have begun talking about how Californians should prepare for future variants in the new “endemic” environment.
SCHOOL RULES
Last week the Marin County Office of Education changed its COVID-19 guidelines for our community’s TK-12 schools. Effective January 25, three key changes to Marin’s 32 Point Safety Protection Plan took place. The cap on attendees for large gatherings such as school assemblies and school sporting events has been dropped. This change applies to indoor and outdoor events. Previously, the capacity for indoor gatherings was 50 participants. Now, local schools will mirror California Department of Public Health’s (CDPH) requirements for mega events if the indoor gathering surpasses 500 people (or 5,000 or more people outdoors). Mega-events require proof of full vaccination or a recent negative COVID-19 test. Participants and attendees of any event hosted indoors will still be required to wear a mask and adhere to the current CDPH rules for face coverings.
Other school related youth activities (school care, drama, music, and transportation) will also follow updated guidance from CDPH and Marin County Public Health. These activities must follow CDPH guidance on mega-events. Spectators may attend all indoor events.
CDC CRITICISM
Meanwhile on a national level, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is looking to reassert itself in the country’s Covid-19 response, the Wall Street Journal reported.
“Amid criticism it has sown more confusion than it has offered answers,” the newspaper reported.
Explaining complicated science to 330 million people is hard, said Ezekiel Emanuel, co-director of the Healthcare Transformation Institute at the University of Pennsylvania and a former member of the Biden administration’s disbanded coronavirus advisory board.
“It is also true that they have bungled a bunch of things,” he said of the CDC.
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