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Santa Cruz Health Officials Investigate Four COVID-19 'Family Clusters'

SANTA CRUZ (CBS SF) -- Health officials were investigating four distinct clusters of COVID-19 coronavirus cases traced to Santa Cruz family gatherings, county officials said.

As of Sunday, Santa Cruz officials said there have been 192 confirmed cases since the outbreak began with 2 deaths. Currently, there were 29 residents hospitalized being treated for COVID-19.

County public health workers have identified four separate clusters of COVID-19 transmission in the South County region, according to a
statement from the Public Health Division. The investigations were still ongoing, but all known transmissions are associated with close contact between households during family gatherings.

These gatherings included interactions between people from different social "cohorts," among people who don't live in the same households,
including a multigenerational Mother's Day gathering and a large gathering involving individuals who traveled from out-of-state.

Over the last week, the number of Santa Cruz County residents who have tested positive for COVID-19 increased by 20 percent, a development
which coincides with a lowering of restrictions on state and local shelter-in-place orders. Under the orders, non-essential travel is still prohibited and gatherings of any size are still not allowed.

All four clusters were being monitored and investigated by thePublic Health Division's Communicable Disease Unit, and that effort includes
both contact tracing and isolation/quarantine guidance.

"We understand that as the shelter-in-place orders enter their third month, people have a strong desire to gather with friends and family, particularly on holidays when the weather is good," said Jen Herrera, Santa Cruz County Chief of Public Health, in a statement. "We want residents to understand that they may unwittingly place those they love at risk for getting COVID-19, especially the most vulnerable among us."

Should local counts continue to increase, the County's efforts to reopen sectors of the community could be jeopardized or result in further restrictions.

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