He’s describing his new job as Interim Public Health Officer for Nevada County as “temporary”. This is the first full week for Doctor Richard Johnson. He’s spent the last five years doing the same work for Alpine County and will continue there. He has 18 years total in this position, starting with Mono and then Inyo Counties. He says he’s already been meeting regularly with Nevada County officials since the coronavirus outbreak, to coordinate a more regional approach. He says he’ll continue to take an educational and not punitive approach, also realizing there’s only so much government can do…

Johnson says even with the recent surge in Nevada County, he’s not ready to release specific sources yet, unless those sources are not linked to individual infections…

Johnson also says he hopes Nevada County won’t be placed on the state’s “watch list” for potential scaling back of the reopenings. But he says he wouldn’t be surprised if that occurs, depending on how the pace of infections goes over the next several weeks.