Fitness centers expected to be cleared for reopening first week of July

Humboldt County Health Officer Dr. Teresa Frankovich today issued a supplement to the Shelter-in-Place Order that adds more industry sectors to the allowable services list and outlines safety measures for certain businesses to put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic.



The supplemental Order includes industry sectors that were recently opened such as dine-in restaurants, retail, campgrounds and RV parks, and sectors that are slated for reopening as local conditions allow. The Order also clarifies requirements for hotels, lodging and short-term rentals to care for guests who become ill.

If a guest of a hotel, lodging or short-term rental is determined by a medical professional to require isolation or quarantine due to COVID-19, the facility’s operator must provide a space for the guest until they are removed from isolation. This replaces previous language that required hotels and lodgings to reserve 25% capacity for ill individuals, and short-term rental operators to house ill people on-site. This revision was made to give operators increased flexibility in determining how best to provide space for ill guests to recover.

“There is an inherent risk in traveling during a pandemic, and everyone involved, both travelers and operators of hotels, lodging and short-term rentals, should make plans as to how to manage should a COVID-19 illness occur,” Dr. Frankovich said.

Director of the Humboldt County Emergency Operations Center Ryan Derby reminds residents that some sectors, such as fitness centers, youth sports, bars and nightclubs, are not yet approved to open. Prospective patrons are encouraged to look for the Humboldt County certificate of approval that should be posted prominently at all approved businesses. Additional activities, including spectator sports, continue to be prohibited by the state’s gathering size limitations.

Fitness centers are expected to be cleared for reopening the first week of July. A precise timeline for reopening additional businesses, including movie theaters, family entertainment centers, museums, galleries, zoos and museums, has not been set.

To read the Order in full, go to humboldtgov.org/DocumentCenter/View/87253/Supplement-to-Shelter-in-Place---Revised-Effective-June-17-until-Rescinded. To read the Order with changes highlighted go to humboldtgov.org/DocumentCenter/View/87258/Supplement-to-Shelter-in-Place---Redlined-June-17.