SACRAMENTO — On Monday morning, Donald Trump tweeted: “Nothing is shut down.” On Monday evening, local officials in California’s Silicon Valley did just that.
In the heart of America’s technology industry and the epicenter of coronavirus’ rapid spread in California, the decision by Santa Clara County to ban large public gatherings under threat of legal penalties was the most dramatic instance yet of state or local authorities moving decisively to curb the burgeoning public health crisis.
And it put on display a growing truth of the escalating public health emergency: From Northern California to New Rochelle, N.Y., state and local officials in mostly blue states have been largely taking matters in their own hands, with outcomes that have varied widely. They’re acting, some say, amid an absence of federal leadership.
Republican-led states are acting as well. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine called a state of emergency, urged universities to teach remotely and told fans to stay away from outdoor sporting events, while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis urged an influx of money to shore up state health care and hospitals.
On the same day that Santa Clara County moved aggressively to limit public gatherings, Sacramento County took a divergent approach by abandoning isolation and quarantines on Monday, with health officials saying their goal has shifted from the no-longer-viable goal of containment to protecting the most vulnerable.
Sacramento County Director of Health Services Peter Beilenson said in an interview that county officials hewed to state guidance and formulated that response in conjunction with neighboring counties.
“This has been mostly a state and local effort. The federal government has been sort of behind the times,” Beilenson said, adding that “there clearly could have been testing kits available much more early than there were,” which means now “the entire country is” catching up.
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Lacking federal direction, local leaders are taking the coronavirus fight into their own hands https://t.co/Rw8Y9KxAEt
— POLITICO (@politico) March 11, 2020
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