Public Health has no plan to present mask mandate to Kings supervisors

Aug. 16—Kings County Public Health will not bring a mask mandate recommendation to the Board of Supervisors unless pandemic circumstances change, according to the department.

While cases of COVID-19 are increasing quickly in the county, Public Health Assistant Director Darcy Pickens said the department doesn't plan to make a mask recommendation to the board unless there is a significant change in public health factors like hospitalizations and deaths, in order to protect the local healthcare system.

Kings County has seen large increases in positive COVID-19 cases since June, and currently has more than 1,100 open cases with a small increase in the number of deaths.

The department's main goal is to educate and inform the public to make their own choices as to what health precautions to take to protect themselves and the community, Pickens said.

"I think part of what we value as a community and a department, and part of our social, emotional and physical well being, is the ability to decide what is right for us as individuals," Pickens said.

County Supervisor Richard Valle has asked the Public Health Department if they are willing to make recommendations on masking for county employees, which Director Ed Hill has declined to do.

Vaccine availability is the department's main goal at this time, Pickens said, and it hasn't set a threshold as to when it would make definitive recommendations before the board.

During a town hall meeting, Hanford City Manager Mario Cifuentez said the City has been directed by its council not to impose any restrictions or mandates on its businesses and citizens which go beyond the direction of the county or state.

Pickens said it's the job of the Public Health department to protect the local healthcare systems and community health, and their focus is on preventing hospitals from becoming overwhelmed. They also want to take all pandemic factors into account, like impacts to businesses and the social and emotional impacts of isolation.

"We ask residents to consider how their actions impact the people around them, not just their personal healthcare," Pickens said. "It impacts the whole community."

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