Monterey County press corps calls on Health Department to provide daily COVID-19 updates.

For many people it's become a new daily ritual: Check the news, check the data, stay up to date on what's happening with the coronavirus pandemic. It's a fast-moving situation both locally and globally, with confirmed COVID-19 cases reaching 209,839 globally as of 8:30am Friday, according to the World Health Organization. 

In Monterey County, there are now four confirmed cases—but the way we know that is not because of a daily ticker, but because on Tuesday the County Health Department confirmed two cases (tested at county hospital, Natividad), followed by two cases tested and confirmed at Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital, which reported those two positive tests Thursday. 

The Weekly, along with other local media outlets, asked the County Health Department if they'd begin doing daily updates. The answer, according to Health Department spokesperson Karen Smith, is no. 

She says the county will provide weekly updates on confirmed COVID-19 cases starting on Monday. "We are running on pretty narrow staff right now," Smith says. 

The decision to provide weekly updates was made by County Health Officer Edward Moreno, who also issued the shelter-in-place order. 

Other health departments—including those in Santa Clara County and Santa Cruz County—are providing daily updates on the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19. 

The Weekly is one of six local media outlets that sent a letter Friday morning, March 20, urging Moreno to provide daily updates, in the interest of transparency to the public. 

"There is fear and uncertainty, and delivering accurate data consistently helps people understand and make sense of a difficult and confusing time. Information and transparency are essential to prevent panic," the letter reads. 

"It’s our understanding that you intend to provide only weekly updates on the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Monterey County. This is absolutely unacceptable to the public, and to us in the press. Our combined tens of thousands of readers, listeners and viewers rely on us to provide accurate and up-to-date information. Your shelter-in-place order defines journalists as 'essential' services in this time. We require your essential data in order to fulfill our essential obligation to the public…

"The public demands and deserves timely and accurate information daily, regardless of staffing stresses."

The letter is signed by representatives of the Weekly as well as KION TV and Telemundo 23, The Salinas Californian, Monterey Herald, Univision 67 Costa Central and Voices of Monterey Bay. You can read the complete letter below. 

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