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SLO County health officer issues vaccine, mask mandate

September 30, 2023

Covid vaccine (Photo/iStock)

By KAREN VELIE

San Luis Obispo County’s health officer issued a vaccine and mask mandate on Sept. 21 that requires all healthcare workers to get yearly vaccines or wear a mask at work.

Instead of taking guidance from the state, SLO County Health Officer Penny Borenstein created her own mandate under Health and Safety Code 120175. Borenstien is requiring every healthcare worker in the county to get yearly COVID and flu vaccines or wear a mask at work for six months of the year.

Code section 120175 allows county health officers to take measures to stop the spread of a communicable disease within their county.

Instead of issuing a temporary mandate because of an increase in flu or COVID cases, Borenstein issued a permanent mandate based on the seasonal increases in COVID and flu cases. The county is now requiring healthcare workers to get yearly vaccines or wear masks at work from Nov. 1 through April 30 every year.

SLO County Health Department Director Dr. Penny Borenstein

During the past three years, the number of COVID cases in SLO County have increased during the months of August and January while decreasing year over year, according to California’s COVID dashboard. During Aug. 2021, the county saw a weekly average high of 7.3 new daily COVID hospital admissions, numbers that fell to 4.7 in 2022 and 2.1 in 2023.

Gov. Gavin Newsom lifted California’s indoor mask mandate on March 1, 2022, and ended the mask mandate for healthcare workers and facilities on April 3, 2023. A handful of California counties have recently reenacted mask mandates because of a surge in COVID cases.

One of the nation’s most restrictive mandates is in Santa Clara County, which issued a mask order earlier this year that requires healthcare workers and visitors to healthcare facilities to wear masks yearly from late fall through spring, unless exempt because of age or health issues.

During the pandemic, multiple healthcare workers, including office staff, elected to stay home rather than abide by mask and vaccine mandates. SLO County continues to suffer the impacts of a shortage of healthcare workers.

Because of the current healthcare worker shortage, many residents have to wait months, and in some cases more than a year, to see specialists or retain new primary care doctors.

A local surgeon and a registered nurse said they are looking for positions outside the county because of Borenstein’s latest mandate. (They asked not be named as they have not yet informed the hospital where they work.) Medical workers and research studies do not agree on the safety of COVID vaccines and the effectiveness of masks.

In March 2020, the SLO County Board of Supervisors voted for a county health emergency that granted the county administrator and Borenstein authority to manage the COVID crisis. Several supervisors later regretted the vote after former Administrator Wade Horton and Borenstein initially refused to follow board direction or relinquish power back to the board.

Under pressure from the board majority, which was considering terminating Borenstein because of her alleged heavy-handed actions, in 2022 Horton and Borenstein agreed to relinquish the health emergency powers back to the board of supervisors.

“While these declarations are no longer needed, the public health team and local health care providers continue to respond to this pandemic and provide resources, like vaccines and testing, to help residents protect their health and the health of the community,” Borenstein said in Feb. 2022. “We remain ready to respond to future surges.”

Prior to the pandemic, county officials had been scrutinizing Borenstein’s handling of several health issues and her ability to oversee the health department.

While several SLO County supervisors have spoken out against restrictive mandates, with a shift in the board majority, it is possible the board will support Borenstein’s vaccine and mask mandate.

SLO County supervisors John Peschong and Debiie Arnold plan to ask the board to agendize a discussion of Borenstein’s new mandate at its next meeting on Oct. 17.

 


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NEVER COMPLY!!!!


57

Then don’t treat patients who might be highly susceptible to the virus and could die. Find another line of work. Simple enough.


-65

I hope the good doctor reads these posts… we are not doing this again Doctor…


75

Tyranny!! Senior directors of Health systems should not be able to set guidelines for staff safety! What’s next? Instructing them how to handle needle disposal, or proper lifting of a heavy object? The deep State just doesn’t end…


81

Pound sand Penny.


107

Just think how many more Americans would have bdead or crippled if we hadn’t listened to health experts in the 50’s and 60’s and not gotten our vaccines.


-111

You mean those vaccines that had years of testing and trials and that we were told from the begining of any and all side effects oh and those vaccines that were still up to us to decide on?


100

“ that were still up to us to decide on?” Is someone holding you down? Your body your choice, free to choose not free from the effects of your choice. Just like free speech.


-87

I dont consider threatening ones livelyhood if they dont submit to the governments demand having free choice


104

You always have a choice.


-88

Their choice is to not get the shot or wear mask so they get fired so yes you could say they had a choice but they really didn’t I consider a choice as something I can live with


31

mullyman: “but they really didn’t I consider a choice as something I can live with”


mullyman:”If you are that concerned about there work environment you can contact OSHA”


So wearing mask is a choice you can’t live with but suggesting I contact OSHA (big gov) who will $$$ someone’s business and force the mask on it’s workers (or get fined or fired) is fine?


Curious.


Refusing to mask up (or proper venting) when grinding or dry cutting metals and rock/cements and the like is just ignorant, but a choice.


-37

If you are working for yourself, or just DIY around the house, you get to wear any PPE you want to..or not want to. That’s certainly your choice!


Working for a company, and refusing to wear PPE? Now the government, OSHA, is involved, and will fine you and the company….or simply shut it all down.


Remember, the same government you are supporting for masking everyone, is the same one that mobilized dozens of Sheriffs with power boats, police officers, and city Lifeguards, to arrest a single paddle boarder, all by himself, way out on the ocean, offshore of a very empty beach, far from anyone or anything that could possibly transmit any virus, or bacteria, because that government said is was too dangerous to do that without a mask….or permission.


34

As a contractor I know how working for your self is different, lecture someone else with the mask hysteria. lol


-23

I don’t understand what you are saying as I said people were fired for not wearing the CHINA Covid mask and if you see a construction hazard by a company you can call OSHA to check they don’t fine you if nothing is wrong


0

mRNA vaccines have been in development since the 1970’s. Read for yourself:


https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2021/the-long-history-of-mrna-vaccines#:~:text=Messenger%20RNA%2C%20or%20mRNA%2C%20was,to%20be%20brought%20to%20market%3F


-31

In development and tested and been through trials are completely different, plus developing something and actually having a finished product are two different things.


26

The polio vaccine only took five yeas to be ready. But, anyway, where is the evidence that the COVID vaccines are bad for you? If they were, shouldn’t there be copious evidence of the problems, considering 230 million Americans have at least one shot and a few billion people worldwide have also had it. Sounds like a conspiracy theory waiting for a conspiracy.


-25

The polio vaccine is also made from an inactivated polio virus, completely different from the covid shot, not vaccine because a vaccine prevents a person from contracting the virus, the covid shot does not prevent contracting it, anyway to compare the polio vaccine and the covid shot is as they say comparing apples to……..you know.


21

I get it, you don’t like the fact they created this vaccine quite quickly. However, there has never been that much money poured into vaccine research as in the case of COVID. Regardless, I don’t know why you are against it, other than politics. The vaccine has been proven effective time and again. If you have evidence that it’s not, I’d love to see it.


-20

First you show me all the results from the extensive trials and testings, and the reports of all side effects.


13

“show me …….

Enough.


-15

I’m sure someone will build a better iron lung, drive it around like a mobility scooter.


That said masks are so unfashionable the iron workers across the way from my work wire wheel steel, weld, blow dust etc and only mask for paint (gloves and goggles thou) .


-68

Do the iron workers work outside or have excellent ventilation? Wouldn’t blow dust without a mask.


16

Shop with roll up doors, no fans or dust extractors. They grind, weld and spray paint inside and out. 5-6 employees, couple with boots the rest sneakers. They blow dust after every girder end is welded, ground clean, wire brushed before spraying the red steel coating/paint stuff, only the painter wears a respirator, dude 8 feet away nope.


-30

If you are that concerned about there work environment you can contact OSHA and have them check it out


17

Please let me decide to protect myself or not. If I’m healthy, young and low risk, don’t force your mandate on me. I will get the newest vaccine because I choose to. Don’t force my neighbor to do the same! Thank you.


79

Some people for a whole host of reason just can’t let go of covid…


107

They love the power, or the perception of it.


68

Respectfully Dr. Borenstien you can take your mask and vaccine mandate and stuff it, we have lost all confidence in you.


142

“Medical workers and research studies do not agree on the safety of COVID vaccines and the effectiveness of masks.”


“… the board majority… was considering terminating Borenstein because of her alleged heavy-handed actions…”

“… county officials had been scrutinizing Borenstein’s handling of several health issues and her ability to oversee the health department.”



“… multiple healthcare workers, including office staff, elected to stay home rather than abide by mask and vaccine mandates. SLO County continues to suffer the impacts of a shortage of healthcare workers.Because of the current healthcare worker shortage, many residents have to wait months, and in some cases more than a year, to see specialists or retain new primary care doctors.”


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