MENDOCINO Co., 3/19/20 — Mendocino County Sheriff Matt Kendall issued a statement yesterday concerning the enforcement of of the new shelter-in-place order which Public Health Officer Noemi Doohan issued yesterday, and which went into effect last night. With the confirmation of at least one case of the coronavirus disease, (COVID-19) yesterday, Mendocino County is now observing extremely strict isolation and social distancing measures to try to curtail the spread of the virus. (Read the order)

These measures are deemed essential to protect vulnerable populations, and to ensure that hospitals do not become overcrowded with people needing intensive care. The order went into effect yesterday at 10 p.m., and is quite detailed in terms of defining what is and isn’t an essential service.