Supervisors: Humboldt County is ready to speed up reopening
Humboldt County’s Board of Supervisors on Wednesday unanimously attested to being ready to reopen additional businesses at a quicker pace than the rest of California.
While the county’s number of confirmed coronavirus cases had stalled for a number of weeks during the ongoing stay-at-home order, there have been at least nine new positive cases in the past week: two on Saturday, four on Monday and three on Tuesday.
But at the guidance of county health officer Dr. Teresa Frankovich, the supervisors determined that the county’s medical equipment, testing capacity,
hospital space and housing for homelessness was enough to meet any potential surge in cases over the coming weeks.
“I think the judgment can be made that our hospitals can handle a very significant occurrence, but we have to wait to see if we’re going to get that significant number,” said 2nd District Supervisor Estelle Fennell, the board’s chair, at a special meeting on Wednesday.
Frankovich noted she would “feel quite differently” about the reopening more quickly if the county’s number of confirmed cases suddenly increased.
“Are we ready to open?” Frankovich said. “If we are ready to open, do we need to move a little more slowly than we might have planned a week or two ago? But those questions will be answered once we actually do have that approval in place.”
Now that the county has attested to being ready, the state will determine if the county has the goahead to begin reopening more businesses, including childcare facilities, car washes, pet stores and offices where remote work can’t be accomplished. In the past few days, seven rural counties have received the state’s approval to move forward.
The county is inviting retail businesses to apply to reopen by providing a site-specific plan for how social distancing could be maintained during operating hours. Applications are available on the county’s website.
Sheriff William Honsal said he was happy the county was in the position to expand.
“Unlike LA County, where they’re locking down for the next three months, we do have that variance here on the North Coast to relax some restrictions, but we’re basically wanting to make it in small bites at this time,” Honsal said.
Some, but not all, of the newer confirmed cases of coronavirus in Humboldt County emerged at Alder Bay Assisted Living Facility. Frankovich said patients at the facility are being quarantined as needed.
“The most significant group affected are the people who work there,” Frankovich said. “When you have critical workforce issues, people are able to work in masks, and anyone who is symptomatic is not able to work.”