Message From County Administrator

Dear County Employees,

Over the last few weeks the County has taken a series of preventative steps in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency, including issuing a Shelter in Place Order, closure of all parks in the County, and reinforcing important health reminders such as practicing social distancing and good hygiene, and staying home from school or work when sick.  As we continue to traverse through this emergent situation, I want to update you on some of our continued response efforts.

Extension of Shelter in Place Order and COVID-19 Phase 1 Modeling Project

Last week the Public Health Officer extended the Shelter in Place Order that was set to end on April 3, until May 3, 2020. The Health Orderexpands on activities allowed outside of residences, and clarifies restrictions from the previous Order.  As we continue to grapple with the COVID-19 impacts to our daily lives, I want to take this opportunity to share results from the Sonoma County COVID-19 Phase 1 Modeling project presented during the April 2^nd County Virtual Press Conference. The modeling compared the possible outcomes of the spread of COVID-19 if sheltering in place, social distancing and other mitigation measures were not implemented. The data shows:

• Sheltering in place has and will continue to have a direct impact on flattening the curve in Sonoma County.  
• Without shelter in place COVID-19 is expected to overwhelm the County’s health

Care capacity for hospitalization by six times more (e.g., 10,000 beds needed versus 1,500).

• Absent sheltering in place, our 65 and older population would be affected most negatively. They would have a much higher risk of death than any other age group in the County.    
• The greatest number of hospitalizations will come from individuals between the ages of 18-64, both with and without sheltering in place.  
• We significantly reduce the risk to the 18-64 age group by sheltering in place.

To view the County’s Virtual Press Conference and modeling presentation slides please visit:  https://socoemergency.org/sonoma-county-covid-19-modeling-data/

Virtual Local Assistance Center (LAC)

The County is working on establishing a virtual Local Assistance Center (LAC) for COVID-19. This central portal will provide recovery information and resources to help members of the business community, employers and employees with addressing unmet needs and to obtain guidance for accessing stimulus packages and other financial support. The virtual LAC will launch in the coming weeks, please stay tuned for more updates.

County COVID-19Information and Employee Resources

The County has implemented revisions to employee pay and benefits, which include provisions from the recently passed Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic. Please take a moment to review the attached email communication sent last Friday from the Human Resources Director with updated emergency pay and benefit information effective through May 4, 2020. 

To obtain up-to-date information, access helpful community resources and general emergency information about coronavirus in Sonoma County, please visit socoemergency.org. The County’s Employee Resourceswebpage is also a great resource to obtain employee information such as disaster service worker responsibilities, benefit and leave information, Employee Assistance Program and more. I also encourage you to join the County’s Employee Emergency Communications Facebook page as another way to stay connected with the County family during the emergency.

As we enter another week of this unprecedented pandemic, let’s continue to help keep ourselves and our community safe by staying home as much as possible, washing your hands often with soap and water, and when leaving your home for an essential activity using face coverings and staying physically distanced from others.

Sincerely,

Sheryl

Sheryl Bratton
County Administrator