YUBA AND SUTTER COUNTIES, CA (MPG) - While Sutter County and Yuba County services are limited at this time, residents who choose to come to County facilities to conduct business will now be required to wear a face covering, and will undergo a brief symptoms screening prior to entry, including a temperature reading, under new guidance from Yuba-Sutter Public Health. Counties are not able to provide face coverings to the public, so those coming to County facilities must wear their own.

County employees will also be screened for symptoms daily, and required to wear face coverings.

Public Health officials from Yuba and Sutter counties, in coordination with the bi-county Emergency Operations Center and local healthcare facilities, are following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance in recommending that residents cover their face when leaving home for essential activities like grocery shopping or visiting the pharmacy or doctor.

This recommendation is being made amidst an expected peak of confirmed COVID-19 cases statewide in the coming weeks. Jurisdictions up and down the state are also making the same recommendation. Face coverings should not be hospital grade, as n95 and surgical masks must be reserved for medical personnel and first responders. Face coverings include bandanas, scarves, and fabric masks, which can be washed and reused, and should cover the nose and mouth. It should be noted that, according to CDC, the risk of being infected can actually increase with face coverings if residents reduce their use of strong defenses like social distancing and hand washing.

“While residents should be staying home as much as possible under the state’s ‘stay at home’ order, face coverings offer extra precaution while out for essential activities,” Yuba-Sutter Health Officer Dr. Phuong Luu said. 

Staying home as much as possible remains the best directive to avoid getting yourself or others sick in the first place, as well as frequent hand washing, not touching your face and social distancing while out performing essential functions. But covering your mouth and nose can also help as the virus’s transmission occurs through respiratory droplets—through coughing or sneezing, and because individuals may be contagious days before the onset of symptoms. These coverings should be worn whenever residents venture outside of their home, even if working an “essential” job.

For more information on the novel coronavirus in Yuba-Sutter, visit BePreparedYuba.org or BePreparedSutter.org. A bi-county Call Center is also fielding general calls Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. The California Department of Public Health guidance on face coverings can be read in full at: https://bit.ly/2UAjO0m.