California’s coronavirus cases are surging and health officials say social gatherings and people not wearing masks or keeping their distance are fueling the rise. Yet it’s businesses that are paying the price in the form of revenue-sapping restrictions.
Business owners say that’s not fair and some medical experts say they have a point.
“It’s like you’re taking a sledgehammer to the problem; it’s not very fine-tuned,” said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, a professor who specializes in infectious diseases at UCSF, of public health guidance. “It doesn’t address where a lot of the catalysts are for transmission.”
California crossed an unwelcome threshold on Thursday when the state’s 1 millionth confirmed coronavirus case was logged. Average daily cases, infection rates and hospitalizations are surging.
State and local health officials for weeks have blamed the rising numbers on social gatherings — everything from backyard barbeques to Halloween festivities to victory celebrations for professional basketball’s Lakers, baseball’s Dodgers and, most recently, President-elect Joe Biden.