The San Diego County Board of Supervisors declared COVID-19 misinformation a public health crisis on Tuesday. The marathon 15-hour meeting resulted in the board passing the motion 3-2.
The motion came from board chairperson Nathan Fletcher, who was ultimately supported by his two Democratic colleagues. The two Republicans on the board voted against Fletcher's motion.
When describing what he means by COVID misinformation, Nathan Fletcher, chair of the county's Board of Supervisors, cited an example of someone who came to a recent board meeting.
“They say an FDA-approved vaccine, that we know is effective and stops you from being hospitalized and dying, is ‘dangerous and will kill you,’ but you ought to ‘ingest a horse medicine,’” Fletcher said. “And people believe these things.”
Over 200 members of the public spoke at Tuesday's meeting. Most denounced the motion.
Still, Fletcher called for the misinformation policy and resolution in order to help people find the best information when it comes to making decisions about public health.
“We have an obligation that when that speech is objectively false and the consequences of that action are putting people on ventilators and in ICUs because people are believing things that aren't true,” he said. “We have an obligation to push back.”
At the Tuesday meeting, Fletcher again stressed the importance of getting accurate information to the public, even as he faced an onslaught of criticism over the motion.
“Whether we’re talking about misinformation around masks, around PCR tests, around COVID, or, in particular, around the vaccine, we have to go out and equip people with what the science tells you,” he said.
Fletcher also put forth several recommendations that would devote more resources to identifying and labeling health misinformation. His recommendations include creating websites with ‘this is a myth, this is the facts’ information that would link to fact and science-based data.
“Whether there's lies about the vaccine and safety and effectiveness, or lies about the masks, these lies are not causing people to die,” Fletcher said. “Because they are believing things that are not true.”
Fletcher’s policy pitch comes as the state’s second-largest school district behind LAUSD returns to on-campus learning.
Students and staff in more than 200 schools returned to campus Monday at the San Diego Unified School District, with mask mandates in place.
“Masks are always required indoors, masks are now required outdoors at all times while students are on campus unless they are eating,” according to the district’s website. “Currently, large-scale events are not recommended for any school sites due to the increased risk of exposure.”
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