Amid threats and political pushback, public health officials are leaving their posts

Amid threats and political pushback, public health officials are leaving their posts

This month in California, Nichole Quick, Orange County’s chief health officer, stepped down after she faced threats and protests at her home for requiring face coverings in many businesses as cases rose. The mandate, issued May 23, was softened to a recommendation a week later. Andrew Noymer, a professor of public health at the University of California, Irvine who is part of a county task force, said it was not the first time Quick had been undermined.