California health officials added Napa County to the state's COVID-19 watchlist on Wednesday, after the coronavirus' spread there increased its pace in recent days and forced the closure of bars, wineries and indoor dining.
Napa joined a list of 26 counties, including Contra Costa, Solano and Marin, that have been flagged for having increased disease transmission or a rise in hospitalizations over three consecutive days. The list has grown longer in recent weeks, as the spread of the virus continues to rise in California.
Under the state's "targeted engagement" program, the California Department of Public Health will work with hot spot counties to develop disease mitigation plans, and provide technical assistance.
"A number of these counties didn’t come kicking and screaming, in fact [they] reached out to us in anticipation that they were likely to enter onto the list," said Gov. Gavin Newsom, at a Wednesday press briefing. "We are very proactively working with them, and engaging them on making sure that we are all working together on the technical assistance and helping them support and prepare for the modifications in their counties."
In Napa County, modifications to the restaurant and retail sectors are already underway.