Acceptance, Humor, Uncertainty: How Rural Californians Are Handling The Coronavirus

Marni Marshall has spent the past few months organizing events that will never happen for local businesses.  

The Executive Director of the Grass Valley Downtown Association, Marshall says the coronavirus has been hanging over their heads for weeks as they wait for the day they can no longer hold events. She says the association is getting the word out to local businesses that $2 million in loans are available from the Small Business Administration.

“When the [Pacific Gas & Electric] power outages were affecting everybody we had to move fast to do what we could to keep people in business,” she said. “It’s sort of the same situation now except there’s not a big agency to be mad at. It’s just sort of happening. It’s just very frustrating but we have to get ahead of it.”

The GVDA held an event Saturday, an annual celebration of Cornish miners. The event typically draws fewer than 50 people. She says it will be the last event the organization holds until at least May 2.

“We sit on our seats, on the edge and we wait to see what happens next,” she said. “We take our best precautions. Everybody is being very cautious, very clean, doing what they can, It’s all we can do right now.”

Much has been made of the effects of coronavirus on large cities, but the virus is still changing the lives of people in rural parts of California that have had fewer confirmed cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

New guidelines released by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office Sunday provide clarity to many in the state who have been expecting something, but didn’t know what.  

Bars, nightclubs, brew pubs and wineries will not be open to patrons. Restaurants must reduce maximum occupancy by half and practice spacial awareness. Seniors over the age of 65 are being advised to self-isolate. 

In Auburn some people and businesses had already begun the transition to expected increases in restrictions. On Friday, the State Theater showed a documentary film. It will be the last performance at the theater until at least the end of the month. 

Manager Lia Carotta said only 250 people were allowed to enter a space that seats 340.

“We are asking them to socially space themselves with a distance of at least one seat between parties and again, everything has been wiped down with Clorox wipes,” Carotta said.

It canceled the “Wild and Scenic Film Festival.”

Placer County has eight reported cases so far and schools will be closed for a month through April 13, at least.

Up the street from the theater, Rob Ohnmacht of Auburn was walking to dinner with friends. His sense of humor is still intact.

“Oh God no! It’s the black lung! Don’t think I’ll make it," he said, flailing his arms about and laughing when asked about the virus.

At 61, he isn’t in the age group that’s at the highest risk for mortality according to the Centers for Disease Control — people 80 and above and those with compromised immune systems are. He knows that and isn’t especially worried about how the virus might affect him.

“Flu can kill you, too. I think they’ve overdone this a little bit. I’m not saying it’s not a bad thing. I’m just saying it’s been overplayed,” he said.

Dr. Megan Murray is a professor and infectious disease researcher with the Harvard School of Public Health. She says the notion makes sense until you consider how fast the virus has already traveled and the number of fatalities that could occur in parts of the population that are most at risk.

“The infection is in 109 countries. It’s at the beginning of its course in many of those countries," Murray said. "Whether we’re going to be able to contain it or not is really dependent on what we do, how much social distancing, how much isolation and quarantine happen,” 

At the Italian restaurant tre Pazzi trattoria, owner Gary Capps was optimistic about the future and says friends and food suppliers in Italy have told him they’re enjoying the isolation strategy as much as they can.

“I think there’s gonna be more babies born in nine or 10 months from now,” he said. “The Italians could use a few more people there … a younger generation.”

Under the governor’s new guidelines, Capps would reduce the number of people allowed in the restaurant by half.

While the seating is becoming more limited at restaurants and the theater in Auburn is closing for awhile, some churches in Yuba City are trying to figure out how to provide services without letting people in the front door, if it comes to that.

At the Calvary Chapel on Bogue Road Kevin Fitzgerald is the head pastor. He started off Sunday morning services with a prayer for hospital staff, police and fire. 

Before the congregation filed in, he talked about how the fears of the virus spreading might affect the Easter Big Tent Revival the church had planned for Easter Sunday. Fitzgerald says they might turn their nine-acre lot into a drive in.

“If people just drove onto the property and stayed in their cars, then we would be complying with self-quarantine regulations and we could literally broadcast through a radio station, and people could just turn their radio on, sit in their cars,” he said.

Calvary Chapel in Yuba City held services Sunday. It’s not sure how long it will be able to keep its doors open.Bob Moffitt / CapRadio

It was expected to draw 1,000 people. The church already is broadcasting its services online.

Other churches, including the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints have already closed their doors. That has affected churchgoers in multiple ways. 

Rosie Draculis is a freshman at River Valley High and attends that church. She turned 15 on Saturday and was looking forward to her quinceañera party this coming weekend. 

“It was going to be like a fancy princess ball where I’m like the princess wearing the nice, big gown and the tiara," Draculis said. "My parents are like the king and queen there with me. Everyone else is just there celebrating and dancing and eating.”

But for her dad, Don Draculis, the writing was on the wall. Since the church had already called off services, he figured putting people at risk, no matter how low it is now, wasn’t worth a party even if the church approved.

“I was asking someone their thoughts if we should cancel this or not before we decided to do it and they were like, “Aw, you probably should because what if someone goes there and they get sick,” he said.

Draculis says grandparents and neighbors who are also seniors were expected to attend. He finds himself conflicted and full of questions as he weighs the threat of the unknown virus and the possible death it could cause once it arrives.

“There’s a lot of fear out there,” he said, before asking what’s on many people’s minds. Why is this different? 

“It does seem like for whatever reason we have more panic going on about this than SARS or H1N1 or the Bird Flu," he said. "As lay people we wonder why it’s such a bigger deal this time than those other times.”

Dr. Murray with the Harvard School of Public Health says it’s true the fatality rate for COVID-19 is lower than previous coronaviruses or the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome.

“Both the first SARS back in 2002 and MERS have a higher mortality rate — MERS having the highest mortality rate at 30-something percent but they seem to be less transmissible in between people than this virus. This virus will affect more people,” she said.

At the Yuba County Administration Building, Dr. Phuong Luu is the Health Officer for both Yuba and Sutter County. She has been in talks with Adventist Rideout Hospital, as well as the other healthcare providers to “maintain a robust... health care system.” 

She says “overplaying” it, as Ohnmacht put it, is important to get people to avoid crowds and to help seniors decrease their risk in an effort to keep the virus from spreading so rapidly that it strains the healthcare systems. Planning and getting the word out at this stage is especially important to this area since Adventist Rideout is the only hospital that serves the two counties.

“This is a marathon not a sprint, so I think people need to be prepared mentally for that, not to function based on fear or anxiety or panic," Luu said.

And that means no hoarding.

“Please don’t hoard toilet paper, hand sanitizers. Please don’t go out and buy masks if you are healthy. Masks are useful for ill persons,” Luu pleaded. 

The virus is already having an impact on the psyche of the Yuba Sutter area. It’s been hard to tell if weekend shopping sprees by locals are a matter of hoarding or stocking up on canned food, disinfectants, hand sanitizer, and toilet paper.

Lots of toilet paper. The shelves were bare at stores all over town.

Melissa Gupton of Marysville went to Winco after she found Sam’s Club lacking many of the daily goods she shops for every week. She said she doesn’t understand why TP is disappearing at lightning speed.

“Why do you need the toilet paper if you’re gonna be getting this? What’s the toilet paper gonna do?” she asked while loading the back of her car with groceries.  

But she did understand the concept of stocking up. Four boxes of plastic gloves were in the back seat.

“I’m a housekeeper,” she explained. ”That’s why I need the gloves. But it was hard to find them. My boss was like, if you find them, please pick them up. Everything’s on back order. It’s ridiculous.”

And she understands the early impacts on the local economy by something that still hasn’t been diagnosed in a single person in the county.

“Our clients are canceling 30 days at a time. They don’t want us in their home at all. People are being ridiculously scared,” she said.

For Luu, the Yuba public health officer, her main advice is still to prepare mentally as much as anything, even as the virus causes disruption in daily life. 

"Be ready and be prepared and act accordingly in a rational, logical manner,” Luu.