With County shelter in place, you can still go to bank, get groceries, go to medical appointments

Dr. Teresa Frankovich, County Health Officer; County Department of Health Michelle Stephens, Sheriff William Honsal spoke at the press conference. Others present were Humboldt OES' Ryan Derby, HCSO PIO Samantha Karges, DHHS's Meriah Miracle, First District  Second District Estelle Fennell, Fourth District Supervisor Virginia Bass, and BOS and other staff were at the County Department Health press conference this afternoon.


Here is the order.

County being pro active and this is not because of any changes in Humboldt. Still that single case, said Dr. Frankovich. 87 tests were done today.

You can still go to bank, get groceries, go to medical appointments but other than people in family unit, people cannot gather in large numbers. Newspaper, TV, radio and other media, plumbers, electricians, educational institutions, legal, accounting are essential services. Barbers, for example, are not essential services.

Restaurants can stay open but shift to delivery/takeout model per Governor Gavin Neesom's guidelines.

"Now is our time. We have seen in our country, our state, now is our time in Humboldt to act," said Sheriff Honsal. He asked us to come together as a community and look out for others.

"This is time for prepardness, not panic" said Dr. Frankovich. Violation of the shelter in place order is a misdemeanor.  Sheriff Honsal spoke about how this will be enforced. "We want voluntary compliance."

"People can go to parks or beaches by themselves or with family, keep at a distance,not use communal equipment. We dont want people to just go out and congregate for no reason."

Second or third citation can result in an arrest.

This is not a curfew, said Sheriff Honsal. It is a shelter in place and people can go out for essential services.


There are so many social media posts out there that are inaccurate, said Sheriff Honsal. Accurate information on County website.



Press Release:

Humboldt County Health Officer Dr. Teresa Frankovich issued an Order of the Health Officer today, March 19, directing Humboldt County residents to shelter at their place of residence in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19.

 The order is effective beginning at midnight tonight until 11:59 p.m. on April 9 unless it is extended or rescinded by the County Health Officer.

Dr. Frankovich called this a pre-emptive move to address a rapidly changing situation.

“We understand this has profound impacts on the everyday lives of Humboldt County residents and families, and we do not make this difficult decision lightly,” she said.

“This order is a recognition of the imminent threat COVID-19 presents to the public’s health and a way to further broaden social distancing.” The order is intended to ensure the maximum number of people self-isolate in their residence to the extent possible.

Exceptions will be made for people to seek or provide essential services such as obtaining medical care or supplies, grocery shopping, refilling prescriptions and caring for an ill family member in another household. Individuals who leave their homes for any reason are expected to maintain social distancing requirements of six feet. Read a full copy of the order here.

Humboldt County has had one confirmed case of COVID-19. The individual recovered and was released from isolation on Feb. 28, after meeting all conditions for clearance required by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Humboldt County does not currently have any cases of COVID-19, but neighboring Mendocino County had its first positive case March 18. As of March 19, there were nearly 900 confirmed cases in California and 15 counties have issued shelter-in-place orders.