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Modoc County Sees First COVID-19 Cases, Months After Defying Shutdown Orders

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Rural Modoc County in the far northeastern corner of California has recorded its first cases of COVID-19, after being the first county to defy state shutdown orders intended to prevent spread of the coronavirus.

The two confirmed cases of COVID-19 are from the same household, according to a county public health department press release Tuesday.

The department said it was identifying people who may have had close contact with the individuals, who have not been hospitalized. The department also asked anyone who patronized a local bar to call in.

On May 1, the county of about 9,000 residents defied Gov. Gavin Newsom’s orders by reopening nonessential businesses and restaurants for dine-in service. At the time, California had just passed 50,000 infections and 2,000 deaths, but that seemed a world away from Modoc, a drive of at least six hours from San Francisco.

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County officials allowed reopening after what they said was careful planning and with limits on the number of patrons and with measures such as physical distancing.

California subsequently began allowing counties to begin reopening, but cases began surging in June and this month Newsom reimposed shutdown orders on many businesses while also barring indoor religious services and in-school instruction in most of the state.

Last week, the governor withheld money from two cities in the Central Valley that are defying his health orders by allowing all businesses to open during the pandemic.

— Associated Press

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