Kings County COVID cases spike 84% in the last month, health officials urge everyone to wear masks

KINGS COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- It's been more than a year since the Hanford Fox Theatre hosted a show and welcomed guests inside.

The pandemic forced the venue to cancel upcoming events because of health and safety protocols.

Even as the restrictions loosened this year, the owners have waited to reopen because they fear as soon as they do, they'll have to close again.

"Ordering product, staffing the building, et cetera, is pretty much impossible when you don't know what's going to happen one day to the next," said co-owner Libby Humason.

The instability is continuing.

Kings County coronavirus cases have spiked 84% over the last month, the county's department of public health said Friday.

Health officials said Kings County was averaging 26 new COVID-19 cases weekly in May and June.

Last week, the county saw 112 new cases, and health officials project another 300 cases by the end of this week.

As cases continue to soar, Kings County health director Edward Hill, in a news release, urged residents and businesses to take protective measures to avoid spreading the virus--especially as new variants continue to emerge.

"It's extremely important that we use every level of protection available to us moving forward," Hill said.

RELATED: Fresno County officials recommend everyone wear masks, even if vaccinated

The health department said the best way to protect yourself from the virus is to get vaccinated.

It also strongly suggested people wear face coverings, regardless of their vaccination status. It said to limit close contact and avoid large gatherings.

Officials also urged residents to stay home if they are sick or have COVID-19 symptoms, wash their hands thoroughly and avoid touching their eyes, nose and mouth with unclean hands.

Across the state, COVID-19 cases are increasing. California health officials reported a majority of those cases were among unvaccinated people.

Last week, the average case rate among unvaccinated people in California was 13 per 100,000 per day, while the average case rate for vaccinated people was 2 per 100,000 per day, officials said.

For the Humasons who have been waiting for restrictions to relax consistently - this isn't a good sign.

"Since we don't know what's happening one month to the next it's really hard to plan, " said Libby Humason.

For now, the line up sign at the Fox remains empty.

The Humasons are doing archival work and keeping busy around the theater, unsure when they'll actually be able to host another event again.

"We really don't know at this point. We're really kind of punch drunk from it all and kind of tired of actually having to pay attention to it," said Dan Humason.

The Humasons said even when restrictions are lifted, they'll be moving ahead slowly.

They said there are many pieces of equipment they have to make sure work again because most of it hasn't been touched in over a year.