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Mendocino County Health Officer Noemi Doohan has announced she will issue a shelter-in-place order that will go into effect at 10 p.m. today in an effort to halt spread of the COVID-19.

Mendocino County has zero confirmed cases and there is no evidence of community spread locally, according to a press release, but Doohan said she is issuing the order because public health recognizes the “imminent threat presented to the public’s health” by outbreaks of the virus in counties in the San Francisco Bay Area, at least seven of which have issued shelter-in-place orders.

A press release from Mendocino County Public Health notes that the Bay Area orders restrict all “non-essential activities outside the home” but the local order in Mendocino will “reflect the rural nature of the county.” It does not provide additional details on how Mendocino’s order will differ from those in other parts of the state.

Humboldt County Public Health reported yesterday afternoon that there are no new confirmed cases locally, and the only one to date was confirmed back in February in a resident who had traveled to China and has since recovered. Public Health has followed statewide guidance, urging residents to practice social distancing measures.

The Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services has also launched a hotline for residents with questions about the virus. It can be reached at [email protected] or at (707) 441-5000. Residents seeking medical advice or questions about testing are asked to contact Public Health at [email protected] or at (707) 445-6200.

See the full press release from Mendocino County Public Health copied below:

County Health Officer will Issue Shelter-In-Place Order on March 18

Mendocino County Public Health has been actively responding to the threat of COVID-19 since early January 2020. On March 4, 2020, Mendocino County declared a local health emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Within Mendocino County, there has been minimal COVID-19 testing performed due to crisis level nationwide shortage of testing materials. At this time, there are zero confirmed cases and no evidence of community spread in Mendocino County.
Given that nearby San Francisco Bay Area is experiencing outbreaks of COVID-19 with extensive community spread, we recognize the imminent threat presented to the public’s health.
Mendocino County has been closely monitoring the recent Shelter-In-Place Orders issued yesterday in a coordinated effort by the big 6 Bay Area counties (San Francisco, Marin, Santa Clara, San Mateo, Contra Costa and Alameda). Tonight with the addition of Sonoma County’s Shelter-In-Place Order, County Health Officer Dr. Noemi Doohan has decided to issue a local order in alignment with our region. The Bay Area joint order, which can be viewed at https://bit.ly/2IOHTtR, restricts non-essential activities outside the home. The Mendocino County Shelter-In-Place Order will reflect the rural nature of our County. The Mendocino County Health Officer will issue this Health Order, tomorrow, Wednesday, March 18 at 5:00 p.m. to go into effect at 10:00 p.m. This upcoming order will be issued in response to the 297 confirmed cases and 5 deaths in the seven Bay Area jurisdictions along with community spread in neighboring counties. The Health Officer recommends that Mendocino County residents who have upcoming non-essential travel planned to any of the Bay Area counties cancel their plans.
County Health Officer Dr. Doohan will be issuing the Health Order and a press release tomorrow, March 18, at 5:00 p.m. Dr. Doohan will be available for media inquiries by phone from 5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Media inquiries can be submitted to Sarah Dukett at [email protected] by 4:00 p.m. on March 18.
Please visit www.mendocinocounty.org for the latest local news on COVID-19. For general health related questions or other concerns regarding COVID-19, please call Mendocino County’s Call Center at (707) 234-6052 or email [email protected]. The call center will be open during regular business hours, Monday – Friday from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.