Activist Eva O'Keefe has launched a petition to force O.C. Health Care Agency to report COVID-19 in restaurants.
At the time of publishing the PETITION had garnered 778 of the 1,000 signatures goal. O'Keefe intended to present the petition to the O.C. Board of Supervisors.
“As a consumer, I should decide if I want to patronize an establishment that had a COVID exposure or not. The same way as health grades are published, COVID exposure should be published,” reads an excerpt from the short petition circulating online.
The Orange County Health Care Agency appears to be the exception to the rule -- LA, San Diego, San Bernardino, and Riverside county health departments all publish such lists, according to the OC Register.
“COVID transmission is widespread throughout the community and risk should be assumed at all locations,” said Marc Meulman, Chief of Operations, Public Health Services, at Orange County Health Care Agency, in an email response to the OC Register, explaining why the agency does not publish a list.
According to the Orange County Health Care Agency online, as July 7, there've been 18,892 cases of COVID-19 reported, and 369 deaths in OC.
After Gov. Newsom mandated a statewide mask policy on June 18, the OC Sheriff said he wouldn't enforce it. Gov. Newsom announced today he would withhold funding from California counties who don't heed COVID-19 rules.
"As a consumer, I should decide if I want to patronize an establishment that had a COVID exposure or not. The same way as Health Grades are published. COVID exposure should be published," O'Keefe, vice president of sales for a chemical distribution company, says.
"The County of Orange has withheld data from the public. Provided inaccurate charts. Provided inaccurate hospital data. OC asked cities such as Anaheim to withhold data on COVID 19 infections per zip code," O'Keefe adds. "We need transparency and accountability from the County of Orange."