SNOW HILL – County officials this week warned of the possibility of further shutdowns if businesses fail to comply with public health directives.
The Worcester County Commissioners on Tuesday met with Health Officer Becky Jones and State’s Attorney Kris Heiser to discuss enforcement of COVID-19 physical distancing and face mask requirements.
“In order for the county or the state not to be shut back down we have to be very vigilant in what we do,” Commissioner Joe Mitrecic said. “We need everybody to be on board and everybody to understand their role.”
Mitrecic said the fact that Worcester County’s coronavirus numbers had “started to creep up” prompted him to initiate a discussion with the agencies involved in enforcement of practices meant to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Jones acknowledged the increase in numbers but pointed out the health department had stepped up its screening efforts, with testing offered four days a week.
“You are right we’re seeing an uptick in the number of positives however we are screening a tremendous amount,” she said.
She said that as of Monday, Worcester County had received more than 7,200 lab results and had 417 positives.
“The really hard work once we have a positive case is the contact tracing which the health department is responsible for,” she said. “So if we get a positive we investigate, talk to, interview that positive and find out who their contacts are. You can have one positive and then have a circle of 10 that they have identified as a close contact and would have to go into quarantine.”
She said that the department was currently monitoring about 280 people.
“We call them twice a day, seven days a week,” she said.
Health department employees ask about symptoms and make sure the individuals aren’t leaving their homes. When needed, the department even makes trips to the grocery store or pharmacy to ensure those being monitored are compliant with the quarantine restrictions. She said the county had not yet had to issue an order to ensure an individual remained in quarantine.
“Knock on wood so far we’ve not had to do that,” she said.
As far as the enforcement of COVID-19 requirements at businesses, Jones said that as of Friday her office had received 132 complaints regarding a variety of issues. She said her staff followed up on every complaint and treated all businesses equally.
“There’s absolutely no favoritism,” she said. “We’ve only had to close one establishment for ongoing violations. And that’s been multiple visits to that establishment, still no corrective action, so we had to close just the one.”
She said that business had since submitted a corrective action plan and had been allowed to reopen.
Jones told the commissioners the other closures they were reading about were done voluntarily.
“We’ve not closed them,” she said. “They’re doing that out of an abundance of caution.”
Heiser said that from a law enforcement standpoint, agencies were communicating well regarding any issues that came up.
“I instructed way back in March for law enforcement agencies to contact me directly with any reported violations so that we could discuss how we were going to proceed and whether charges would be filed,” she said. Heiser said four individuals had been charged for violating the stay-at-home order when it was in effect and that no businesses had been charged with violating the governor’s orders.
Mitrecic said the Worcester County Board of License Commissioners wanted to do its part in enforcement of the regulations currently in place for bars and restaurants.
“I know that the liquor commission is concerned and would like to be a part of some of this policing but they don’t have the manpower nor do they have probably the resources to do what they want to do anyway,” he said.
Ed Potetz, environmental health director, said he was already working with the board. He said the county’s liquor license administrator had provided the health department with a list of all licensed facilities and that the board was advised of any violations. Typically, in response to a complaint the health department calls a business owner and provides education. If there’s a subsequent complaint about the business, an inspection is made. If any non-compliance is identified the business receives a re-inspection.
“The majority of the violations concern face masks and also social distancing,” he said.
According to Potetz one of the biggest problems is people standing at bars. He said people didn’t realize that they were supposed to be six feet apart and were supposed to be sitting at bars.
He said his department had gone into some establishments and seen 10 out of 10 people not wearing masks.
“That is total disregard of the public,” he said.
Potetz added that complaints came in heavy after weekends.
“As I’m sitting here they’re coming across my phone right now,” he said. “The majority of them are coming out of Ocean City, there’s no denying that.”
Commissioner Ted Elder asked if the health department was testing people who didn’t live in Worcester County.
Jones said people who did not live here but were perhaps here for the summer were being tested by Worcester County. Their results are shared with their home county.
“Even if their home residency is not ours we’re going to maintain them in our isolation and quarantine,” she said.
Elder also asked if any seemingly healthy people in Worcester had died of coronavirus.
“Our deaths are trending similarly to the state and the nation,” she said. “It’s in that demographic where it’s older, they have underlying medical conditions or co-morbidities. We haven’t seen an outlier yet.”
Commissioner Bud Church said he’d been advised that the New York Times on Monday reported that a person’s chances of getting coronavirus were now higher in Worcester County than anywhere else in Maryland.
“How do they get that information?” he said.
Jones said she’d have to see the report herself.
“It could be that they’re looking at the state data, which they’re looking at the seven-day positivity rate which fluctuates,” she said, “but I’d have to go look. I’d not read that myself. I can look and get back to you.”
Commissioner Jim Bunting said that while the county was reported to have had 17 COVID deaths, he considered the number to be lower because two of the early deaths had been people who were not in Worcester County when they got it and had not died in Worcester County. He said three of the deaths had been individuals who had been in hospice. He added that there could be disputes over cause of death in other situations.
“Worcester County’s doing a great job,” he said. “The 17 deaths aren’t really being portrayed accurately. I just want people to feel a little more comfortable about Worcester County.”
Jones said her office was also watching hospitalizations, ICU admissions and ventilator use.
“I talk at least weekly with Atlantic General Hospital, “she said. “Those numbers seem to have plateaued as well. You may get some blips in the state, that’s not unusual, it’s when you start seeing that upward trend that this becomes concerning.”
Commissioner Diana Purnell asked if the health department was seeing figures from outside the county or state after major holidays.
“We’ve asked that the state include that as a question for other jurisdictions,” Jones said, “so when they’re doing the contact investigation that they ask what was your recent travel and to where so we can collect that data.”
Mitrecic said he applauded the job the health department was doing. He cited a letter sent to county leaders throughout Maryland by Gov. Larry Hogan.
“Our continued economic health and recovery depend on the active and aggressive local enforcement of these critical public health measures,” he read. “We cannot allow a small segment of willful violators to squander the collective efforts of the overwhelming majority of Maryland citizens and businesses.”
He suggested the county and the health department set up a meeting with the county’s mayors and city managers.
“Maybe you could make some suggestions on what they could do,” he said.
