This week the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors voted to end the local COVID-19 State of Emergency and Public Health Emergency. The ending of the emergency declaration does not rescind or impact Health Officer Orders or California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Orders governing mask usage in certain settings.
Sacramento County Public Health identified the first case of COVID-19 in Sacramento County three years ago this month. Since then, there have been over 368,000 reported cases of COVID-19 and over 3,700 residents of Sacramento County have died from COVID-19. COVID-19 will not go away on February 28 and residents are urged to continue to take steps to prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses. This includes staying up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccinations, testing for COVID-19 if you have symptoms, and asking your healthcare provider about treatments if you test positive for COVID-19. Vulnerable people, including those who are at greater risk for severe illness, should consider wearing a mask in indoor public places.
Some of the changes residents may notice when the emergencies end and in the coming months:
Dashboard
The Sacramento County Public Health COVID-19 dashboard will no longer be updated after March 1. After this date, please use the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) “Tracking COVID-19 in California” dashboard to access the latest data.
Public Meetings
Meetings governed by the Brown Act, such as City Councils, Board of Supervisors, School Boards, and their affiliated advisory bodies will need to return to in-person meetings if they have not already done so.
Testing Sites
Some underutilized State-funded testing sites will wind down operations in the coming months. CDPH has indicated testing sites will remain open as long as funding is available and they are being utilized. No closure dates have been set.
The federal COVID-19 emergency will remain in place until May 11, at which point residents can expect additional changes, including how costs associated with COVID-19 testing, treatment, and vaccination may be covered.
Please note that the following are not tied to emergency declarations and are not directly affected when the emergencies terminate:
• Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Non-Emergency Regulations;
• Emergency Use Authorizations (EUAs) for vaccinations; and
• Investigational New Drug applications (INDs).
Sacramento County Public Health will continue to monitor COVID-19 as we do with other infectious diseases.
