Update: In California’s Nov. 4 update of counties’ coronavirus status, Mono remained in the orange tier.
A coronavirus outbreak at the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center has raised Mono County’s case count enough to threaten its status in the orange tier, the county’s public health officials said.
More than 60 people have been infected in the outbreak identified Oct. 21 at the Pickel Meadow facility, 15 miles northwest of Bridgeport.
“The number of positive cases identified is expected to rise in the coming days as tests are completed,” said a press release Tuesday from Mono County Public Health.
So far no cases have been found among schoolchildren in the Eastern Sierra Unified School District, which includes an elementary school in Bridgeport and elementary and high schools in Coleville, 20 miles from the Marine facility.
Mono County has been in the orange tier (“moderate risk”) since Aug. 31. It now faces being downgraded to red (“substantial risk”).
This week’s update of California counties’ coronavirus status is scheduled for Wednesday morning.
The mountain warfare center has been used since 1951 to train Marines in cold weather and mountainous terrain. It can accommodate more than 1,000 personnel, but generally the number is around 350 to 400.
