Humboldt County advises residents to shelter in place
Humboldt County will be moving forward with plans for a shelter-in-place ordinance starting at midnight on March 20 to minimize the potential spread of Covid-19. This comes as Governor Gavin Newsom issued a shelter in place order for the state of California during a press conference earlier today.
In a live-streamed press conference, Humboldt County Health Officer Dr. Teresa Frankovich stated that an Order of the Health Officer was being put in place that would have residents shelter-in-place for protective measures.
The ordinance is scheduled to last until 11:59 p.m. on April 9, though it can be extended or rescinded at any time if need be. There will be no curfew in effect during this time.
According to the press release from the Humboldt County Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS), residents can still travel and leave their residence for essential travel and essential activities.
Some examples of essential travel, according to the ordinance include, but are not limited to:
- Visiting medical professional or purchasing medicine
- Purchasing or delivering groceries and other supplies for sheltering
- Traveling to and from work
- Traveling to another location to shelter or to care for another
Both Frankovich and Sheriff-Corner William Honsal encouraged residents to continue with outdoor activities, such as hiking, as long as the continued use of social distancing is still used. Public gatherings and unessential travel is discouraged and would be a risk to public health.
Honsal did clarify that while the sheriff’s department would be asking citizens to voluntarily follow the ordinance, he did state that failure to do so would result with a first-time warning. These warnings would be recorded, according to Honsal, and repeated violators could receive a citation or be placed under arrest.
This is an ongoing story.
The full ordinance can be read below:
