Special Notice / Hearing: None
Vote Required: 4/5
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Supervisor David J. Canepa, District 5
Supervisor Warren Slocum, District 4
Subject: An Uncodified Urgency Ordinance Adopting Infraction and Administrative Citation Penalty Structures for Violations of COVID-19 Emergency Health Orders
RECOMMENDATION:
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Adopt an uncodified urgency Ordinance ("Ordinance") adopting infraction and administrative citation penalty structures for violations of COVID-19 emergency health orders.
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BACKGROUND:
The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has caused a fatal global pandemic. Unfortunately, public health data from July 2020 shows that the virus is currently being increasingly transmitted across the State. Although San Mateo County has fared better than many other urban or suburban counties within the state, including other Bay Area counties, health data shows that COVID-19 is still spreading within the County.
COVID-19 appears to be wildly transmissible in settings where individuals have direct contact. Individuals may be infected and contagious with no symptoms (asymptomatic) or may be infected and contagious before developing symptoms (presymptomatic). Asymptomatic or presymptomatic individuals can unknowingly infect others.
A. Local and State Orders Strive to Hamper Transmission of COVID-19.
Current scientific evidence is that the primary way to slow the spread of the virus is to hinder airborne transmission, which can occur through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, talks, or raises their voice. These droplets can land in/on the mouths, noses and eyes of people who are nearby.
Most aspects of the COVID-19 public health orders are intended to reduce transmission of COVID-19 by mandating social distancing or other protective measures, such as wearing face masks, and limiting in-person interactions where the risk of transmission is high. The consistent compliance with social d...
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