Monday, July 13, 2020
County Officials Awaiting Further Instructions on Statewide COVID-19 Rollbacks
Posted
By Ashley Harrell
on Mon, Jul 13, 2020 at 4:34 PM
click to enlarge - Courtesy of DHHS
- Humboldt County Public Health Officer Teresa Frankovich and Sheriff William Honsal talk COVID-19 at a previous virtual town hall meeting.
Following Gov. Gavin Newsom's announcements today about new statewide and county-specific measures to curb the spread of COVID-19, local officials said they're waiting for more information before taking steps to comply.
The Humboldt County Emergency Operations Center (EOC), Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal and Humboldt County Health Officer Teresa Frankovich are aware but have not yet seen the written guidance on these changes, a press release from Humboldt County Joint Information Center stated.
“The governor made clear the state’s concerns about the rapid increase in COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations and ICU admissions in California,” Frankovich said. “Our understanding is that there will be a statewide order to close bars and to move some sectors such as dining, family entertainment centers, office spaces for non-critical services, museums and zoos and card rooms to outdoor operations only.”
The intent, Frankovich added, is to focus on strategies that reduce mixing of people outside their household in spaces where it is more challenging to ensure safety precautions are in place and to move those activities outdoors where possible. “The state is clearly stepping back but not returning to full shelter-in-place restrictions,” she said.
Honsal added that the county would not act on the verbal announcement, but will instead wait for written instructions.
“In light of the governor’s recent announcement regarding business sector closures and the current COVID-19 situation in California, I believe it is prudent to wait for further written directive from the governor prior to making any sweeping decisions that will impact our business community," he said. "In a small community like ours, one business closure can have a ripple effect felt throughout the county. I’ve heard and seen the impacts that COVID-19 and the initial closures had on our local business owners and their families, and I do not take the decision to close sectors of our local economy lightly.”
The EOC will provide additional information Tuesday, the press release stated. Read the whole thing below:
Tags: Sheriff William Honsal, Humboldt County Health Officer Teresa Frankovich, Governor Gavin Newsom, Humboldt County Emergency Operations Center, Humboldt County Joint Information Center, Image