MONTEREY COUNTY — Covid-19 pandemic restrictions for businesses in Monterey County ended on June 15, but County Health Officer Dr. Edward Moreno said state guidelines remain in effect and businesses need to become familiar with guidance from CalOSHA.
Moreno advised residents to remain vigilant about disease prevention, as well, during the press briefing on June 16.
“We still have cases of Covid and people being hospitalized and still have people dying,” Moreno said. “We have some countries that have a very small percentage of their population that has been vaccinated and they still have high numbers of cases, hospitalizations and deaths. There is quite a bit of evidence the virus is having a significant effect on populations throughout the world.”
He suggested that residents look up guidance from California Department of Public Health and read through state FAQs on the variety of topics that may relate to themselves, their travels or their businesses. Information can be found at covid19.ca.gov.
“It’s really important for people to become familiar with accessing those guidance documents,” Moreno said.
Some people may be overly cautious or feel a need for continuing to be as cautious as during the height of pandemic guidelines.
“It’s important that we continue to show respect for one another,” Moreno said. “We have individuals that feel much more comfortable keeping their face coverings. We still have some people who are unvaccinated or have a weak immune system.”
Since the pandemic is still in effect, Moreno said a retrospective is still not possible. He added that for those attempting to gauge the responses of agencies, waiting until the pandemic is over would be needed to have an after-action report.
As time has gone on, residents who were eager to get vaccinated have received their doses and now the demand is decreasing, Moreno explained.
“Deliveries are exceeding demand,” he said. “Over the last few weeks, the providers have enough vaccines to last them for a while.”
Providers are now focused on trying to use up vaccine doses they have on hand before ordering additional vaccine. The overall effect is a lowering of new vaccination numbers and dose order numbers.
