A total of 801 county residents tested positive in COVID-19 after 17 new cases were reported today. Previously reported hospitalization was removed after it was determined that the individual had not been admitted to the hospital.
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) today classified Humboldt County as a widespread or “purple” layer in the state’s “Draft for a Safer Economy”. According to the CDPH, the county’s positivity rate and adjusted case ratio are 2.3% and 6.1, respectively, which would put the county at the red level. However, the state has decided to assign Humboldt County to the purple standard because of concerns about the recent acceleration in local COVID-19 activity and recent data showing a case number above 7.0.
At the purple level, various industrial sectors will need to reduce capacity, move outdoors, or shut down while COVID-19 transmission is reduced. Some of the state’s requirements include:
- Bars, breweries and distilleries – Closed.
- Wineries – Only open outdoors.
- Family entertainment centers – Only open outdoors.
- Retail – Open indoors with a maximum capacity of 25%.
- Shopping Malls, Shopping Malls, Exchange meets – Open indoors with a maximum capacity of 25% Close common areas; Close the restaurant courts.
- Museums, zoos and aquariums – Only open outdoors.
- Places of worship – Only open outdoors.
- Movie theaters – Only open outdoors.
- Hotels and accommodation – Closure of indoor pools, hot tubs, spa and fitness centers.
- Gyms and fitness centers – Only open outdoors.
- Restaurants – Only open outdoors.
Dr. Teresa Frankovich, Humboldt County Health Officer, said these changes are a response to a very worrying increase in local transmission of COVID-19. “We all need to take action to slow the spread of the virus, which will allow us to move to a less restrictive level and continue to protect each other and the capacity of our healthcare system,” he said.
Now that Humboldt County is in purple, the state’s limited home residence regime is coming into effect locally *Thursday. This regulation requires residents to refrain from gathering from non-household members and to stop non-core activities between 10pm and 5am. Members of the same household can then leave their homes as long as they do not come into contact with other households and the activities related to the “operation, maintenance or use of critical infrastructure” are exempt by state order.
[*Note: The initial release issued by the county mistakingly announced that the limited stay-at-home order went into effect Wednesday at 10 p.m. It’s actually Thursday. The Outpost has altered its headline to reflect the correction.]
Read the state requirements under the purple layer at https://tinyurl.com/statetierchanges.
Read the state’s limited home residence policy at https://tinyurl.com/limitedstayathomeorder.
Visit cdc.gov or cdph.ca.gov for the latest COVID-19 information. Local information is available at humboldtgov.org or during business hours at [email protected] or 707-441-5000.
Read the state requirements under purple
https://tinyurl.com/statetierchanges.
Read the state’s restricted home residence policy at
https://tinyurl.com/limitedstayathomeorder.
Visit cdc.gov or cdph.ca.gov for the latest COVID-19 information. Local information is available at humboldtgov.org or during business hours at [email protected] or 707-441-5000.
Humboldt County COVID-19 Dashboard: humboldtgov.org/dashboard,
Follow us on Facebook: @ HumCoCOVID19,
Instagram: @ HumCoCOVID19,
Twitter: @ HumCoCOVID19, and
Humboldt Health Alert: humboldtgov.org/HumboldtHealthAlert
