The images from across the globe seem surreal — major freeways, shopping districts and popular tourist destinations virtually deserted amid widespread stay-at-home and shelter-in-place orders stemming from the coronavirus threat.
No less is true for Davis, where the normally bustling downtown grid — many of its businesses and restaurants shuttered or modifying their services to foster social distancing — resembles a ghost town.
“We’re seeing very good compliance” with the orders, Davis Police Chief Darren Pytel said Saturday, three days after Yolo County health officials issued a countywide shelter-in-place order that Gov. Gavin Newsom expanded statewide the following day.
Still, Pytel said his department and others have received phone calls and emails questioning the seriousness of the order, prompting Yolo County’s public safety leaders to release a joint statement Friday reiterating the gravity of the situation.
“The State of California and Yolo County have issued stay at home orders to help slow the spread of COVID-19. They are legal orders and the City is asking everyone to comply with the spirit and intent of the orders, which is to stay at home to protect the public health,” the statement read.
“We ask everyone take these orders seriously and to make smart decisions about whether leaving their residence is reasonable, necessary and essential activity under the orders. The orders can be enforced by our law enforcement officers, however, we would appreciate voluntary compliance.”
For complete information about the shelter-in-place order, including permitted activities, visit www.yolocounty.org/health-human-services/adults/communicable-disease-investigation-and-control/novel-coronavirus-2019/shelter-in-place
The purpose of the order, Pytel noted, is to “flatten the curve” — reduce the virus’ spread and, therefore, the number of people requiring medical care.
Davis Police Chief Darren Pytel. Enterprise file photo
That also means slashing the number of people who might seek hospital treatment for other reasons — such as injuries from vehicle collisions or other incidents — that may result from regular daily routines.
“We just don’t have the capacity to take care of everything all at once,” Pytel said. He added that while Sutter Davis Hospital “seems to be doing OK,” Woodland Memorial Hospital already has cautioned law-enforcement agencies that arrestees needing medical care before going to jail are likely to see significant delays due to high demand.
On the commercial side, police also have seen generally good compliance among local businesses, though a few salon services and golf courses have been told to shut down, according to Pytel.
Meanwhile, officers are receiving reports of incidents that Deputy Police Chief Paul Doroshov said might otherwise “fly under the radar” — such as the person seen chasing others “and breathing in people’s faces” Thursday on a North Davis greenbelt. Police also continue receiving house-party complaints, which previously amounted to noise and traffic nuisances but now flout social-distancing recommendations too.
“Right now we’re handling them as normal calls for service,” Pytel said. “But if we have to start dealing with large parties, we’re going to have to start dealing with the people who are hosting them. We’re hoping it doesn’t come to that.”
Police do have the option of enforcing the order with citations or arrests in cases of egregious violations, “but that’s kind of a last resort,” the chief added.
With first responders trained and prepared to do their part, “what we really need now is great cooperation from our community in order to decrease the impact that the virus has locally,” Pytel said. “As we come out of this, how we did here is going to be measured on how few cases we have here locally. If we lose control, we’re going to see a higher incident rate and likely a higher mortality rate.”
— Reach Lauren Keene at lkeene@davisenterprise.net or 530-747-8048. Follow her on Twitter at @laurenkeene