Colusa County Becomes COVID-19 Hotspot, Positivity Rate Jumps To 21%
COLUSA (CBS13) — During a press conference earlier this week, President Donald Trump stood in front of a U.S. map highlighting the nation's coronavirus hotspots, including Colusa County.
"Whether it goes to the White House or not, it's still a huge issue of concern for the community," Colusa County Councilmember Marcos Kropf said.
The 22,000-person county has reached a positivity rate of 21% over a seven-day period.
"We're trying to educate the community as best as possible to follow the state guidelines," Kropf said.
But that wasn't always the case. Back in May, the county chose to ignore the stay-at-home-orders and voted to allow normal functions to resume. Now the county's in trouble and their explosive COVID-19 rate is getting President Trump's attention.
READ: 'The Virus Is Spreading Out Of Control': State Senator Calls For Return Of Strict Stay-At-Home Order
And after months of ignoring the problem, county leaders are scrambling to control the spread.
"Follow the state guidelines, wear masks where appropriate and treat everyone as potentially infected with COVID-19," Kropf said.
Some Colusa locals wish the county did more to protect its residents.
"They kind of opened it up too soon and I think they should've had everybody wearing masks in the beginning," said Richard Cape.
Colusa County says the majority of their cases are coming from family gatherings and an outbreak at a skilled nursing facility.