COVID-19 spike in valley continues – 67 more confirmed cases in single day

Merced County on watch list; bars, indoor dining, entertainment venues closing

By The Merced County Times On Jul 1, 2020

(Merced County Department of Public Health data)

• As of 4 p.m. Wednesday, July 1, there are 1,131 confirmed cases (+67 from yesterday)

of COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) in Merced County. Approximately 610 of those cases are considered as “probable”

active, and 11 have died.

View this interactive dashboard online at: www.countyofmerced.com/coronavirusstats
Based on information provided by individuals who test positive, Public Health staff will continue to assess risks of exposure and contact any affected individuals.
Due to privacy laws, the Public Health Department cannot release identifying information related to positive cases.
In California, there are 230,764 confirmed cases and 6,083 deaths.
As of June 30, a total of 14,269 tests have been performed in Merced County: 12,925

negatives, 1,064 positives, and 280 still pending. These figures include testing through both

Merced County has been placed on the State watch list due to rapidly increasing disease

transmission, increased hospitalizations, and a rise in the percentage of individuals testing

positive for COVID-19, indicating increased circulation throughout the community.

Further details can be found at: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-

19/CountyMonitoringDataStep2.aspx

• Residents are strongly advised to avoid mass gatherings, wear face coverings (as mandated

by the state), and exercise appropriate preventative measures such as hand hygiene and

social distancing over the Fourth of July weekend.

• Rapidly increasing cases of COVID-19 coupled with decreasing capacity at local intensive

care units has resulted in Merced County being placed on a State watch list and the closure

of bars, indoor dining and other entertainment venues for a minimum of three weeks.

If the upcoming holiday weekend results in another rise in cases, Merced County will be at severe

risk for an extended shutdown of various parts of the economy. This can be prevented by

avoiding crowds or large family gatherings, practicing physical distancing, washing your

hands often with soap and water, staying home if you’re sick, and wearing face coverings

when:

• Inside of, or in line to enter, any indoor public space;

• Obtaininghealthcareservices;

• Waiting for or riding on public transportation or while in any private or ride-sharing

vehicle including operators of the transportation;

• Attheworkplaceorperformingworkoff-site;

• Outdoors in public spaces where physical distancing is not possible.

• Due to a significant spike in COVID-19 cases, Merced County’s regional parks will be closed

to the public over the Fourth of July holiday weekend (Friday-Sunday). This includes Lake

Yosemite, Hagaman Park, and Henderson Park. These parks are projected to reopen

Monday, but physical distancing must be adhered to and large group gatherings will continue

to be prohibited.

• An updated version of the Merced County COVID-19 interactive dashboard went live today:

www.countyofmerced.com/coronavirusstats. The revamped dashboard will be updated on

normal business days.