Local tribes are also issuing shelter-in-place orders like those in effect in Humboldt County and across the state in response to the COVID-19 outbreak that has gripped the nation and the world.
The Wiyot, Hoopa Valley and Yurok tribes notified members yesterday, asking those living within their respective tribal boundaries to limit time out in the community to essential activities, like grocery shopping or medical visits, while practicing social distancing — meaning to stay at least 6-feet away from others.
Just like the
Humboldt County and state orders, workers who perform essential services are exempted. That includes everyone from emergency personnel to grocery clerks. And, no curfew has been put in place.
The Wiyot Tribe release also states that the World Renewal Ceremony has been postponed to next year to protect elders, dancers and their families.
For more details, read the Wiyot Tribe and Yurok Tribe's releases and the Hoopa Valley Tribe declaration at the end of the story.
As of March 19, Humboldt County had not seen any new confirmed cases of COVID-19, with a total of 61 individuals tested by public agencies — six by the Centers for Disease Control and the rest by the Public Health Lab.
(Read more about how the county is prioritizing who gets tested
here.)
One person who tested positive last month after traveling to China has since been cleared and another indeterminate case was also cleared. The numbers do not reflect testing done by commercial laboratories and it is unclear when data from those labs will be publicly available.
The county is updating testing numbers and results daily Monday through Saturday and that information can be found here. California, as of 6 p.m. March 19, has a total of 1,006 positive cases and 19 deaths (including one non-California resident). As of the same time, officials also reported that 23,200
tests had been conducted statewide, with results still pending on about 11,700 of them.
What to watch for:
The California Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control, state that symptoms of novel coronavirus include fever, cough and shortness of breath. Emergency warning signs needing immediate medical attention include difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, new confusion or inability to awaken and bluish lips or face.
In an emergency situation:
Call ahead to the emergency room or inform the 911 operator of the possibility of a COVID-19 infection and, if possible, put on a face mask. St. Joseph and Redwood Memorial hospitals have opened tents on their campuses to begin screening patients who have “significant” symptoms consistent with the COVID-19 virus. The general hours of operation for the tents is 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. but that is subject to change.
Symptoms or possible exposure:
In the case of a possible exposure with symptoms — fever and cough or shortness of breath — contact your doctor’s office or the county Department of Health and Human Services, which has a hotline that can be reached during business hours at covidinfo@co.humboldt.ca.us or at (707) 441-5000. Residents seeking medical advice or questions about testing are asked to contact Public Health at hhsphb@co.humbldt.ca.us or at (707) 445-6200.
St. Joseph Health has also set up a virtual assessment tool as an aid to assess risk factors for contracting the illness, which can be found at
www.providence.org/patients-and-visitors/coronavirus-advisory.
For the
Journal's latest COVID stories, updates and information resources,
click here.
Release from the Wiyot Tribe:
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