LAKEPORT, Calif. – The county of Lake is working to finalize plans for locating a quarantine and recovery site for COVID-19 patients at the Lake County Fairgrounds, a process supported by the governor’s state of emergency declaration.
In a Tuesday discussion with the Board of Supervisors, Lake County Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace reported that, at that point, no positive cases of COVID-19 had been confirmed in the county, making it one of just a handful of counties in California where that’s the situation.
Pace said that, in addition to dealing with an ongoing shortage of testing and efforts to put surveillance testing in place, a key piece of the county’s preparations for COVID-19 involves actions to be taken when positive cases do show up.
He said Public Health is setting up a contact tracing team, mostly consisting of volunteers because they don’t have enough staff.
When positive cases are identified, the team will talk to the people who have been in contact with the patient during the previous week, Pace said. There also will be an isolation team that will work with patients.
Patients will be allowed to isolate at home if they can, but in the cases where they cannot, Pace said the county is working to set up sites where they can stay.
He said the Department of Social Services and Supervisor Rob Brown have been working on the site details.
An isolation and recovery site is being set up at the Lake County Fairgrounds in Lakeport, Pace said, with the county working to set up security and staffing.
County officials said the fairgrounds was an option due to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s COVID-19 state of emergency order, issued on March 4.
The order directs that any suitable state-owned properties – with a section specifically naming fairgrounds – be made available to the Office of Emergency Services “to assist in preparing for, responding to, mitigating the effects of, or recovering from COVID-19.” Under that order, fairgrounds can be used without the fair board of directors’ approval.
Brown told Lake County News in a separate interview on Tuesday that the state of California’s Office of Emergency Services is paying for RVs that will be located at the fairgrounds.
“We have 100 ordered but 50 are coming now and 50 at a later date,” Brown said.
Brown said people who are symptomatic and waiting for tests to return will be allowed to stay at the site, along with those who are recovering but don’t need to be in care at a hospital.
“We’ll have staff on-site as well,” he said.
If necessary, the county also may use some of the fairgrounds buildings, depending on the number of cases the county eventually has, Brown said.
“We have no idea at all what kind of numbers we’re looking at,” he said. “We’re allowing for the worst-case scenario but hoping for the best.”
Lake County Fair Board of Directors Vice President Monica Rosenthal told Lake County News that the fair board has a duty to follow the governor’s orders and allow the state-owned fairgrounds to be used as a place for quarantine and recovery during the novel coronavirus crisis.
“Having said that, I believe I can speak for the Fair Board as a whole, we are pleased to be able to help our community during this incredible crisis by providing space for a potential surge in medical needs for Lake County community members who may need to be quarantined or have a temporary living space for recovery,” she said.
Rosenthal said the fair’s new chief executive officer, Sheli Wright – who came on the job in the middle of March – is working with Dr. Pace and Department of Social Services Director Crystal Markytan on the site preparations.
Markytan told Lake County News on Tuesday afternoon that she didn’t yet have a time frame for when the trailers would be arriving in Lake County.
Given the scope of what the state is charged with doing in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, “Things are messy right now,” Markytan said, adding, “In a typical disaster, they would not be filling resource requests to all 58 counties simultaneously.”
It’s not yet known how long the fairgrounds could be needed for the isolation and recovery site.
As such, Rosenthal said that, so far, the Lake County Fair Board hasn’t discussed changing the date of the 2020 Fair, which traditionally takes place on Labor Day weekend.
She said they’re holding out hope that the community will safely get past COVID-19, allowing the fair to go forward.
Rosenthal said the fair board is concerned about other potential impacts as well, including those affecting the youth and their fair animals.
“Decisions need to be made regarding 4Hers countywide with regard to animals they intend to raise for this year's Junior Livestock Auction. As a board, we began discussions about this during our regular March board meeting and, I am certain we will continue those discussions in more depth during our April board meeting, which, like so many meetings, will be held via teleconference or Zoom pending on the direction of our CEO,” Rosenthal said.
Once the county is past the need for the isolation and recovery site, Brown said it’s his understanding that the RVs will become county property.
Brown said the county already is having discussions about how the RVs could be used in the community after they are no longer needed to serve COVD-19 patients.
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Lake County officials work on plan for COVID-19 quarantine and recovery site
- Elizabeth Larson
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