Switch to the mobile version of this page.

News

Archives | RSS

« Redwood National and State Parks Cl… | Humboldt County COVID-19 Cases Now… »

Monday, March 30, 2020

Emergency / Government / Medical / Health

Sheriff Declares Local Emergency Amid COVID-19

Posted By Kimberly Wear @kimberly_wear on Mon, Mar 30, 2020 at 5:19 PM

click to enlarge

Sheriff William Honsal - HUMBOLDT COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE

Humboldt County Sheriff's Office
Sheriff William Honsal

Sheriff William Honsal today declared a local emergency in response to the coronavirus, a move described as a proactive step to allow the county of Humboldt “to request all available response and recovery assistance from state and federal agencies.”

“[T]he imminent threat posed by aforesaid conditions warrant and necessitate the proclamation of a Local Emergency to enable the County of Humboldt and other local government entities to adequately plan, prepare and preposition resources to be able to effectively respond to the threat posed by COVID-19 and to warn Humboldt County residents and visitors of the threat posed by COVID-19 and enable them sufficient time to plan and prepare,” he says in a release.

The local emergency declaration is for seven days, which the board of supervisors can extend.

Things have escalated quickly on the region’s coronavirus front, which saw its first confirmed case in mid-February. The latest available numbers from Public Health today showed 21 active cases, up three from Saturday's numbers, several of which were under investigation as to transmission cause.

Honsal’s announcement comes a little under three weeks after the county’s Public Health Officer Teresa Frankovich declared a public health emergency and 11 days since the shelter-in-place order for the county, which will be in effect until April 10.

The latter directed businesses not deemed essential — essential businesses include healthcare operations, gas stations and stores that sell groceries, pet food and hardware or household products — to cease all but minimum basic operations. (It does allow business to operate if employees are telecommuting from home.)

Residents were bluntly told to stay home for all but essential needs such as running to the store or exercising while practicing social distancing practices, meaning to stay 6-feet away from others.

Meanwhile, all of Humboldt County’s schools were shuttered earlier this month as Humboldt State University and College of the Redwoods moved to online learning.

Read the full release below:

Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal declared a Local Emergency this afternoon in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak.

This comes less than a month after Humboldt County Health Officer Dr. Teresa Frankovich declared a Local Health Emergency for the county on March 11.

This declaration makes it possible for the County of Humboldt to request all available response and recovery assistance from state and federal agencies.

Honsal stated in the order, “[T]he imminent threat posed by aforesaid conditions warrant and necessitate the proclamation of a Local Emergency to enable the County of Humboldt and other local government entities to adequately plan, prepare and preposition resources to be able to effectively respond to the threat posed by COVID-19 and to warn Humboldt County residents and visitors of the threat posed by COVID-19 and enable them sufficient time to plan and prepare.”

The Local Emergency shall be deemed to continue to exist for the next seven days, and hereafter by ratification of the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors, until its termination by the Board of Supervisors.

As of March 30, 2020, Humboldt County has had 18 cases of COVID-19 since the local outbreak began. A shelter-in-place order remains in effect in the county through April 9. For current information about COVID-19, visit cdc.gov or cdph.ca.gov. Local information is available at humboldtgov.org or during business hours by emailing [email protected] or calling 707-441-5000.