"It was never the intent of the state or locally for us to flip a light switch and open everything back to normal in one fell swoop."

Humboldt County continues to move forward with a gradual and strategic reopening of our local economy.

While new guidance for additional business reopenings was released by the Governor’s Office this week, Humboldt County Health Officer Dr. Teresa Frankovich reminds the public that the local reopening process takes time.

“It’s really important for us all to remember that we’re moving forward at a steady pace,” Dr. Frankovich said. “It was never the intent of the state or locally for us to flip a light switch and open everything back to normal in one fell swoop.” She added that every new sector that reopens changes the dynamics of the virus in Humboldt County. “In just a little over two weeks we have opened retail and restaurants. At the same time casinos have reopened, places of worship have the ability to provide services indoors and we have seen larger gatherings related to the recent holiday weekend and community protests. All of this activity may contribute to increasing case numbers, and we need time to be able to see that impact,” she said.

With more businesses beginning to reopen to the public, Humboldt County residents are encouraged to continue protecting our community by helping limit the spread of COVID-19. Here’s what you can do to continue slowing the impact of COVID-19 on our community.

Get tested for COVID-19 for free

Each COVID-19 test for infection serves only as a “snapshot in time.” That’s why it’s important for community members to be tested on an ongoing basis. This is especially recommended for health care workers, first responders, retail and dining employees and others who work closely with people. Testing is available for no cost at the OptumServe Community Testing Site located at Redwood Acres in Eureka.

Dr. Frankovich said regular COVID-19 testing remains an important public health tool we can use to limit the rate of spread of the virus in our community. “Surveillance testing helps us to pick up people who may be asymptomatic but are infected. The earlier we’re able to identify cases and quarantine their contacts, the better chance we have of controlling the spread of the virus,” the doctor said.

To register for a COVID-19 test or retest at the OptumServe Community Testing Site, visit our homepage at www.humboldtgov.org.

Wear a facial covering when interacting with others

The Health Officer’s Order on Facial Coveringsremains in effect for Humboldt County. Members of the community are asked to continue wearing facial coverings to limit the spread of virus:

• Before entering any indoor facility besides your home (Examples: grocery store, post office, restaurant carry out, etc.)
• Before entering any enclosed open space (Examples: a bus or other shared public vehicle)
• While outdoors when you are unable to maintain a six-foot distance from another person at all times. (Examples: Farmers’ markets, pumping gas, drive thru/delivery/carry out/curbside pickup, etc.)
• When personal vehicle windows are lowered to interact with first responders, food service workers or others who are not members of your household.
• Children older than 2 and under 12 years of age are not required to wear facial coverings but are encouraged to do so if possible.

People who should not wear a facial covering also include:

• Facial coverings should not be used on children under the age of 2 years old because they are at higher risk of suffocation.
• People who have trouble breathing
• Anyone who is unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the facial covering without help from someone else.