7 New COVID-19 Cases Monday 223 Active Cases In Tuolumne County

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Tuolumne County — Public Health has identified seven new cases today. They include one male and one female under 20, one woman in her 20’s, one woman and one man in their 30’s, and two men in their 60’s. At this time, public health officials state they all appear to be in isolation. Tuolumne County has an extremely high case rate, 31.4 which is approximately twice the statewide case rate according to officials. Tuolumne County’s positivity rate has also had a steep increase, with much testing and an approximate 10% test positivity rate. Because it is evident that the county has community transmission, public health officials advise the public to stay home except for essential needs. In addition, it is vital for individuals who are having symptoms to stay home and avoid going to work or school.

In response to the unprecedented statewide increase in cases, as reported here, 28 counties, including Tuolumne, have been moved to the most restrictive purple tier of the state’s color-coded Blueprint for a Safer Economy. Calaveras moved from yellow to orange. The move aims to slow the rapid spread of infection, reduce the risk of severe illness and death in vulnerable populations and help keep the state’s hospitals and other health care from becoming overwhelmed. This move will be in effect beginning tomorrow, Tuesday, November 17 and will be re-evaluated on Friday, November 20.

Purple Tier means retail is limited to 25% capacity. Museums, Places of worship and cultural ceremonies, gyms and fitness centers, restaurants, are all outdoor only with modifications, bars where no meals are served and wineries are closed. Non-essential business offices should switch to remote work.

Clarke Broadcasting is aware that since in person classes started, students and/or staff at Twain Harte, Sonora High School, Curtis Creek, Columbia Elementary, Summerville High School, and Soulsbyville Elementary have reported positive cases to parents and guardians of students. Public Health says “As positive cases in schools increase, some schools may have to close cohorts or classes for distance learning for a period of time due to staffing shortages or out of an abundance of caution for the safety of all staff and students.”

Public Health is working with every school district as positive cases occur in schools. If your child’s school or class has been moved to distance learning and you have not been told directly by your school that your child is a close contact or have not heard from public health, it is very likely that your child is not a close contact and there is no need to quarantine. As always, it is strongly encouraged to self-monitor for symptoms and get tested if you feel it is necessary, but not required if your child has not been identified as a close contact.

Public health also says, “As we move into the Purple Tier, schools that have already been open for in-person instruction may continue to do so per state guidance. If a school meets the state criteria for state closure while we are in the Purple Tier, they may not open for in-person instruction until we move to the Red Tier. The mode of instruction is at the discretion of each school district. Please contact your school if you have any questions about what mode of instruction your school is in.” Public Health continues to coordinate with all school districts on a weekly basis to monitor the situation. Frequently asked questions about schools can be found at the link here: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/Schools-FAQ.aspx

The California Department of Public Health has released a travel advisory for travel in and out of California. Persons arriving from outside the state on non-essential travel should quarantine for 14 days after arrival and should limit their interactions to their immediate households. All Californians are encouraged to limit non-essential travel outside the state to reduce the risk of virus transmission and bringing the virus home. See the full advisory here: www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/CID/DCDC/pages/COVID-19/Travel-Advisory.aspx

Because much of the state is experiencing a surge in COID-19 cases, new guidelines have been released by CDPH for safe holiday gatherings. New CDPH guidelines can be found here: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/Guidance-for-the-Prevention-of-COVID-19-Transmission-for-Gatherings-November-2020.aspx Please take these recommendations into account when making holiday plans.

COVID-19 testing is up in our community and that is a positive sign. There are a few things to keep in mind when planning to get tested at the state test site at the Motherlode Fairgrounds: The site is open for testing on Tuesdays through Saturdays 7AM to 7PM. Appointments are required and, at this time, appointments are available only three days in advance. Make your appointment at www.lhi.care/covidtesting or by calling (888) 634-1123. People are encouraged to take advantage of this resource and get tested right away if they have symptoms of COVID-19, five days after travel or having had close contact with others outside of their household, and test routinely if they work in high-risk settings such as healthcare, corrections or congregate care facilities or if they have frequent interactions with the public through work or other community engagement.

Tier 1: Minimal
County/Date	Active	New Cases (Total)	Hospital/ ICU	New (Total Recovered)	Deaths
Alpine 11/16	8	6  (36)	1	11 (28)	0
Mariposa 11/16	7	2(91)	2	2 (82)	2
Indoor Offices, All Retail & Shopping Centers, Hair Salons & Barbers, Personal Care Services, Museums, Hotels & Lodging		Bars, Breweries, Wineries, Restaurants, Cardrooms, Places Of Worship, Gyms At 50% capacity details here.		Outdoor Playgrounds, outdoor recreation, Sports without live audiences
Tier 2: Moderate
County/Date	Active	New Cases (Total)	Hospital/ ICU	New (Total Recovered)	Deaths
Calaveras 11/13	24	17(390)	1	5 (345)	21
Outdoor Only Bars, Breweries, and Distilleries (where no meal provided)		Museums, Restaurants, Places Of Worship At 50% capacity or 200 people, whichever is fewer.		Wineries, Gyms & Fitness Centers, Cardrooms Must be at 25% capacity, or 100 people whichever is fewer
Open Indoors Personal Care Services, Hair Salons, & Barbers
Tier 3: Substantial
County/Date	Active	New Cases (Total)	Hospital/ ICU	New (Total Recovered)	Deaths
Amador 11/16	49	20 (388)	5	7 (324)	15
Mono 11/16	37	1 (493)	NA	1 (449)	2
All Retail, Malls Common areas must be closed, 25% capacity		Museums, Restaurants, Places Of Worship At 25% capacity or 100 people, depending on which is fewer.		Gyms & Fitness Centers Must be at 10% capacity
Open Indoors Personal Care Services, Hair Salons, & Barbers With Modifications
Not Permitted:
BARS, WINERIES, BREWERIES, ETC. Not allowed unless meals are offered, Wineries outdoor only with modifications Cardrooms outdoor only w/ mod. Offices Remote
Tier 4: Widespread
County	Active	New Cases (Total)	Hospital/ ICU	New (Total Recovered)	Deaths
Madera 11/16	488	88(5,514)	7	60 (4,950)	76
Merced 11/16	773	73 (10,552)	39	102 (9,607)	172
San Joaquin 11/16	1,326	441 (23,734)	76/19	238 (21,907)	501
Stanislaus 11/16	1,004	121 (19,397)	94/18	80 (17,981)	411
Tuolumne 11/16	223	7 (569)	6	0 (323)	8
25% Capacity All Retail except standalone grocers, Malls (Common areas & food courts closed)		Outdoor Only Restaurants, Museums, Places Of Worship, Gyms & Fitness Centers		All Levels- Critical/essential Infrastructure always open with modifications.
Personal Care Services, Hair Salons, & Barbers Open With Modifications
Not Permitted:
BARS, WINERIES, BREWERIES, ETC. Amusement Parks, Not allowed unless meals are offered, Wineries and cardrooms outdoor only with modifications, Offices Remote

If you are having COVID-like symptoms, self-isolate and contact your healthcare provider or the Adventist Health Triage Line at 209-536-5166 Mon-Fri, or 209-536-5000 after hours. If you need immediate medical attention, please call ahead and go to Rapid Care or the Emergency Department. You can also visit www.valleycovidhelp.com for more information.

Quarantine is for individuals who have had contact with a COVID-19 positive individual and are waiting for test results or for anyone with symptoms waiting for test results. In general quarantine lasts 14 days if there are no symptoms and a negative test. Isolation is for COVID-19 positive individuals, with or without symptoms, to prevent spreading the infection. If you are advised to isolate or quarantine, it is important to stay at home and separate yourself from others, including household members as much as possible.

It is important to continue to follow prevention guidelines to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, including:

• Practice physical distancing at all times. Keep 6 feet space between yourself and others who are not part of your household. Stay in your household bubble!
• Wear a face covering in public.
• Wash your hands thoroughly and frequently.
• Avoid gatherings of any size with people who are not part of your household.
• Stay home if you are sick.
• Avoid unnecessary travel, and limit your outings to essential tasks.

Thank you for your support and efforts to protect the safety and health of our community