To save lives, Sacramento County must fine businesses that break COVID-19 safety rules
As COVID-19 sweeps across California, pushing Sacramento back into the worst tier for infections, county public health officials are calling on the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors to provide the tools necessary to enforce coronavirus rules.
“Faced with record numbers of COVID-19 cases, Sacramento County health officials will ask the county Board of Supervisors on Tuesday to approve an urgency ordinance that would allow the county to fine businesses that refuse to adhere to state and local virus safety rules,” according to a Sacramento Bee story by Tony Bizjak and Benjy Egel.
Until now, county public health officials have relied on an “educational” approach to enforcement. The county has issued written warnings to businesses that defy health rules requiring them to shut down indoor operations in an effort to prevent infection and death.
This toothless approach has led some businesses, like yoga studios and gyms, to remain open despite the threat to public health. Now, with the potential that this new wave of COVID-19 will be much worse than the first, county health officials want the power to impose fines on reckless business owners.
“The proposed ordinance is being reviewed by county attorneys,” according to The Bee. “Officials said they have not yet determined what the fine amounts would be, but said the ordinance is patterned after a similar program in Yolo County that set $500 as a base fine for recalcitrant businesses.”
Opinion
The proposal is already receiving opposition from Supervisor Sue Frost, who told The Bee she does not like the idea of issuing fines to businesses. But how are county health officials supposed to enforce the rules if they have no tools to encourage compliance?
Government agencies use fines to enforce traffic laws, parking laws and city codes every day. Why shouldn’t fines be employed to make sure businesses comply with health and safety rules in the middle of a deadly pandemic?
Supervisor Patrick Kennedy expressed sympathy for businesses that have been hit hard by pandemic shutdowns but noted that Sacramento’s rising infection numbers could quickly rack up a heavy death toll.
“But the fact is, the pandemic is real,” Kennedy told The Bee. “We have (177) hospitalizations currently. As difficult as this is, if we don’t get our arms around the pandemic, it is simply going to get worse. It is the sacrifice we make today that will save lives tomorrow.”
Sacramento County and other counties in the region have now been moved down to the purple tier, meaning gyms, movie theaters, restaurants and churches must now halt indoor services. But as of Monday, several gyms across Sacramento continued to hold indoor classes in defiance of state and county rules
“Sacramento County, which set two daily records last week for new infections and on Monday surpassed 30,000 all-time cases, had its hospitalized case total soar from 77 on Halloween to 177 last Friday,” reported The Bee’s Michael Finch II. “That figure is 172 as of Monday. Forty-eight COVID-19 patients are in Sacramento County intensive care units. That number has quadrupled in less than three weeks.”
This is a dire situation requiring maximum cooperation from Sacramento’s citizens, business owners and elected officials. While most businesses have done the right thing and followed the rules, the non-compliance of a few selfish actors can derail progress, increase the number of infections and deaths, and keep our county closed down for even longer.
Businesses that follow the rules don’t need to worry about getting fined. Only those who willingly break the rules and put lives and risk will face consequences.
Rules are meaningless without enforcement. The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors should approve the urgency ordinance and give health officials the tools they need to save lives — before it’s too late.
