Community leaders urge residents to follow guidelines amid COVID-19 pandemic

Health professionals are seeing how COVID-19 is impacting communities of color.

Research showing higher numbers of severe and fatal cases of COVID-19 within these minority groups.

Here in kern county, health officials are seeing a growing number of people gathering at Martin Luther King, Jr. park, not following social distancing guidelines, and now they’ve asked community leaders to help with changes, but some it may not be enough.

GROWING NUMBER OF PEOPLEGATHERING ATMARTIN LUTHER KING JUNIOR PARK,NOT FOLLOWINGSOCIAL DISTANCING GUIDELINES.NOW, THEY'VE ASKED COMMUNITYLEADERS TO HELPWITH CHANGES, BUT SOME SAY ITMAY NOT BE ENOUGH -TONIGHT -- 23ABC'S IMANISTEPHENS EXPLAINS HOWSTATE AND COUNTY GOVERNMENT AREWORKING TO HELPBY BRINGING TESTING CENTERS TOTHESE COMMUNITIES OFCOLOR...BEFORE TODAY, THERE WASN'T ATESTING CENTER FOR COVID-19 INEAST BAKERSFIELD.

THAT CHANGEDWHENSUPERVISOR LETICIA PEREZANNOUNCED A FREE TESTINGCENTER WILL OPEN UP IN EASTBAKERSFIELD NEXT WEEK...BUTCOMMUNITY LEADERS SAY ONETESTING CENTER ON THE EAST SIDEISN'T ENOUGH....."IT'S NOT AN AUTHORITY THING,IT'SA SAFETY THING.

WE WANT TO SEETHESE PEOPLE NEXT WEEK, NEXTMONTH, NEXTYEAR.

INSTEAD OF SEEING THEMLAYING IN A COFFIN SOMEWHERE"NICK HILL, THE PRESIDENT OF THEKERN COUNTY BLACK CHAMBEROF COMMERCE ALONG WITH OTHERCOMMUNITYLEADERS CAME OUT TO MARTINLUTHER KING, JR PARK WEDNESDAYEVENING TO SPEAK WITH PEOPLEGATHERING AT THEPARK....AND NOT ADHERING TOPUBLIC HEALTH'S 6-FEET-APARTGUIDELINE...CITY OFFICIALS ASKING FOR THECOMMUNITY'S LEADERS WITHRECENT RESEARCH SHOWING PEOPLEOF COLOR ARE ATA HIGHER-RISK OF DYING FROMCOVID-19..."WHEN YOU LOOK AT THEPREDISPOSINGCONDITIONS THAT LEAD TO A BADOUTCOME WITH THE CORONAVIRUS,THETHINGS THAT GET PEOPLE TO ICU'S,THAT REQUIRE INTUBATION ANDOFTEN LEAD TODEATH, THEY ARE JUST THOSECOMORBIDITIES THAT AREUNFORTUNATELYDISPROPORTIONALLY PREVALENT INTHE AFRICAN-AMERICAN POPULATION""ALL THE UNDERLYING ISSUES, THEYSAYHEART DISEASE, DIABETES, HIGHBLOOD PRESSURE AND EVERYTHINGELSETHAT ADDS TO(COVID 19 YOU KNOW, AND THATWHATINCREASES THE RATE OF DEATH INAFRICAN-AMERICANS FAR MORE THANANYOTHER ETHNIC GROUP.

SO WITH THATBEING SAID, YOU KNOW, LIKE ISAID, WEJUST WANT TO TRY TO PREVENT IT")AND ACCORDING TO THE KERN COUNTYPUBLIC HEALTH'S COVID-19 TRACKER -- EAST BAKERSFIELD APRODOMINATELYETHNIC COMMUNITY, IS IN THE LEAD- WITH THE MOSTCONFIRMED POSITIVE CASES OF THECORONAVIRUS INTHE COUNTY....BUT WITH THE HOPES OF PROVIDINGACCESS TO THOSEWHO ARE IN NEED OF TESTING, ANDLIMIT THE CHALLENGE OFTRAVELING OUTSIDE OF THEIRAREA....KERN COUNTY BOARD OFSUPERVISORS, CHAIRWOMAN -LETICIA PEREZ ANNOUNCED TODAYTHAT IN A PARTNERSHIPWITH GOVERNOR NEWSOM...FREETESTING WILL BE AVAILABLE FORRESIDENTS IN EASTBAKERSFIELD...THE FIRST IN THECENTRAL VALLEY"THE NUMBERS IN EAST BAKERSFIELDARE HIGHER THAN THEY AREANYWHERE ELSE.(AS YOU SEE STORIES ACROSS THECOUNTRY, PEOPLE OFCOLOR, AFRICAN AMERICANS,LATINOS, FILIPINOS, PEOPLE OFCOLOR IN PARTICULAR, ESPECIALLYIN AT RISKCOMMUNITIES THAT ARE LOWRESOURCED, WE KNOW AREDISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTED ANDWE KNOW THEY AREDISPROPORTIONATELY NOT BEINGTESTED") CHAIRWOMAN PEREZ SAYSTHIS TESTING CENTER IN ADDITIONTOFOLLOWING THE PUBLIC HEALTHGUIDELINES ARE THE RIGHT STEPSFOR GETTING LIFE BACK TO NORMALAS POSSIBLE.YOU KNOW, IF YOU CAN'T HONORTHIS SIXFOOT DISTANCE, PLEASE WEAR AMASK, WEAR GLOVES, BE CAUTIOUS,ANDREALLY HONOR THE SOCIALDISTANCING AS WE KNOW THAT ITDIRECTLY IMPACTSDEATH RATES, AND THAT WE CAN GETTHROUGH THIS FASTER THE MORESOCIAL DISTANCING THAT WE DO."LOCAL LEADERS SAY MORE SIGNAGECOULD BE ADDEDSOMETHING CHAIRWOMAN PEREZAGREES WITH."WE GET TO THE PARK AND WEREALIZE THAT,YOU KNOW, THE PLAYGROUND IS NOTEVEN ROPED OFF IN THE COMMUNITYWHERE I LIVE, THE PLAYGROUND ISMARKED OFF.

THAT'S IMPORTANT.HOWABOUT PUTTING SOME SIGNS ANDMARKING WHERE THE SOCIALDISTANCE IS, LET'S ALLWORK TOGETHER AND HELP THISCOMMUNITY BE SAFE""CERTAINLY WE CAN HAVE MORESIGNAGEACROSS THE ENTIRE COUNTY.

ANDFOLKS SHOULD OF COURSE PAYATTENTION AND HETHOSE BE SAFE.COMMUNITY LEADERS TELL 23ABCTHEY FEEL MORE STILLNEEDS TO BE DONE FOR THECOMMUNITIES OF COLOR WITHINKERN COUNTY."I'M EXCITED THAT THERE IS ONEIN THEFIFTH DISTRICT PERIOD THAT'SIMPORTANT CAUSE BROWN AND BLACKBOTH ARE SUFFERING HIGHLY INTHIS COVEN AND THE DISPARITIESTHAT WE DEAL WITH.BUT WHEN WE LOOK AT THESOUTHEAST AREA, WHICH IS THEAREA WE'RE HERESPEAKING ON BEHALF OF, WE DO NOTHAVE A FREE TEST AND CENTER OUTIN THISAREA.

WE DO NOT HAVE AN URGENTCARE.

TRANSPORTATION ISAN ISSUE.

GROCERY STORE IS ANISSUE"AND AGAIN, THE TESTING CENTER ISEXPECTED TO OPEN NEXTWEEK...REPORTING IN BAKERSFIELD,I'M IMANI STEPHENS, 23ABCNEWS, CONNECTING YOU...MEANWHILE -- IN THE AFTERMATH OFTHE FOOD AND DRUG