Editor’s note: This is a developing situation and we are updating this article repeatedly, please scroll down for the original article and more context.
Furthermore: In response to some fears being voiced on Facebook we think it’s appropriate to clarify some points. The assistance of the National Guard has been requested by local officials and state representatives to deliver aid, including coronavirus testing materials, and medical tents to add surge capacity to Round Valley health facilities and also provide a place to segregate out COVID-19 patients from other people visiting the doctor. Neither the state nor federal government have unilaterally demanded access to Round Valley. This is not a request for the National Guard to serve in any law enforcement capacity, and the sheriff is cooperating and aware of the situation. This is akin to when the National Guard brings sandbags to a flood, or water bottles during an earthquake, and is a routine part of the disaster management aspect of the Guard.
UPDATE 4/28/20, 7:10 p.m. — CEO Angelo told The Mendocino Voice that as of late this afternoon of the 175 tests samples collected in Round Valley yesterday, 56 have been processed. Of those 56, 55 samples tested negative and one sample tested positive. That brings the total number of cases of COVID-19 countywide to 12 and in Round Valley to seven.
There is currently no conclusive decision from CalOES or the Cal National Guard as to whether the Guard will be delivering aid to Round Valley. As late as 6 p.m. yesterday it appeared that the Guard would be flying in helicopters with surge tents, test kits, and other equipment. As of now those plans appear to be on hold pending more testing, and then a decision as to whether such aid would be warranted on the part of the state.
We will continue to update as more information becomes avaliable.
UPDATE 4/27/20, 7:55 p.m. — According to Mendocino County CEO Carmel Angelo, the California Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) has made a decision Monday evening to delay, or cancel, the aid that was scheduled to arrive in Round Valley via National Guard helicopter tomorrow. Mendocino County personnel managed to conduct 175 tests in Round Valley today, which are being processed at Sonoma Public Health’s laboratory. Results from those tests are expected very soon. It was announced earlier today that the California National Guard had been preparing to send aid in the form of surge tents and other medical and supportive equipment to Round Valley, in response to the sudden spike COVID-19 cases, and the potential for the disease to quickly spread through the Round Valley Indian Tribes Reservation and Covelo.
Angelo said in a brief interview that at 7:20 p.m. she had received word from the state government that the aid would not be coming, and that the state government would instead wait for the results of coronavirus testing that was conducted today to come back, before making a decision about whether to send the aid to Round Valley.
Angelo said that things had been “back and forth” with the state all day, and as recently as 6:45 p.m. word had come that the state was sending aid. Indeed, Supervisor John Haschak posted on his personal Facebook page around 6:30 p.m. saying that the Guard would be sending aircraft with equipment, supplies, and aid to the Round Valley Airport tomorrow morning. As of time of publication this no longer appears to be true.
The County of Mendocino has been in discussions with a variety of state agencies on this subject including CalOES, the California EMS Department, California Public Health, and California Public Health. According to Angelo, the agency that decided to cancel (or delay) the aid was CalOES.
Asked about the role of Mendocino County’s representatives in the legislature Angelo said, “Senator McGuire has been our biggest champion, and has been Round Valley’s biggest champion, in getting additional resources to assist tribal health in response to this event.”
In a brief phone conversation Supervisor John Haschak Said, “I think with the outbreak that we’ve had certainly we need more testing and that’s going to be the critical factor…to keep the community safe — the longer they wait the more chance it has of spreading.”
Speaking about the local government’s capacity to deal with the crisis, and conduct sufficient tests, Haschak called the 175 tests a good start, but added that, “We need the full resources, we need the isolation and quarantine tents to be set up — we need the testing capacity to be really increased and we need their ability to put that together.” He also thanked Senator McGuire for his assistance in procuring resources for the county.
ORIGINAL
WILLITS, 4/27/20 — Substantial testing efforts are underway in Round Valley and the California National Guard will be bringing supportive equipment to the Round Valley Tribes Indian Reservation, sometime in the next few days. The local county government has sent 10 county workers, including medical personnel and clerical support staff to Round Valley in an effort to perform up to 200 tests, and conduct contact tracing investigations, after six people in Round Valley contracted the coronavirus last week.
As of this afternoon the total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Mendocino County still stands at 11.
Mendocino County Sheriff Matt Kendall noted in a brief phone interview that he wanted to advise the residents of Mendocino County of the possible presence of military vehicles, or aircraft, in the county in advance, in an effort to remain transparent. Though the past weeks have given rise to a great many fears and theories concerning the possible imposition of martial law or the like, it should be noted that in this case, the Guard is coming with pandemic supplies to aid the Round Valley Indian Tribes.
Currently the six confirmed cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Covelo are restricted to one family, and though it is possible that members of that family were out and about before they became symptomatic, since developing symptoms they have all be isolated, according to county officials.
However, given the close knit and isolated nature of the Round Valley and Covelo community, there is concern that the virus could spread rapidly, and as such the tribal, county and state governments are in close cooperation to deliver more resources and equipment.
The National Guard* will likely be traveling up U.S. Route 101 and SR-162 or potentially flying into the Covelo Airport with a Blackhawk of Chinook helicopter. They will be bringing surge and quarantine tents, as well as a triage tent for the Round Valley clinic, which will allow the clinic to continue operations while segregating potential COVID-19 patients. Such tents have become common the world over, and were set up at the three hospitals in Mendocino County. The Guard will also bring complimentary equipment and the ever elusive coronavirus testing cartridges which are necessary to perform the tests.
Though the Round Valley Indians Tribes clinic has procured an extremely rapid testing machine, that allows for same day tests, that particular kind of machine only works on people who are already beginning to present with symptoms, according to Mendocino County CEO Carmel Angelo. As such the county government has has dispatched the 10 county workers, mostly from the Health and Human Services Department, to perform nasopharyngeal swab tests, which will be driven promptly Sonoma County Public Health’s lab for testing. Those workers hope to perform up to 200 tests, though CEO Angelo noted that doing that many tests in one day would be extremely difficult. The crew will be given proper personal protective equipment (PPE), but are not receiving any kind of hazard pay.
That crew will also be conducting contact tracing, trying to figure out who may have been exposed to the virus, and focusing their tests on those people that may have had exposure. Angelo also explain in a brief interview that the family had likely contracted the virus in the Bay Area, and that two members of the family made trips to the Bay, with three separate instances of travel to the Bay to visit family.
(Some photos of the tests being conducted in Round Valley)
Speaking of the cooperation between the county government and the Round Valley tribal government Angelo said, “They knew that we wanted to help them and they absolutely were very gracious in wanting our help.” An attempt was made to contact Tribal Chairman James Russ, but he could not be reached by the time of publication.
Third District Supervisor John Haschak said in the brief interview that there had been a “soft promise” of an additional 2000 tests “for the community-at-large” from the state government. Both he and Angelo praised the cooperation of the state government. Asked for comment State Senator Mike McGuire’s office had not responded as of time of publication.
Haschak also noted that, “There’s a lot of high risk factors [in Round Valley], the closeness of the community, everything, the high incidence of diabetes. I think those are all high risk factors that elders in the community were concerned about.”
*A note on the California National Guard. Though the National Guard is a reserve component of the United States military, each state’s national guard is considered to be the militia of that state, and a such the Governor of California acts as the head of the California Guard, within the state.
I am very concerned about other counties easing up on sheltering practices. Since our county has been fortunate, so far, I am afraid that people will be flocking up here from the Bay Area and all of the precautions will be lost. I am 73, have been sheltering since March 12. I am immuno-deficient and am worried. People from other places are already coming here in the dark of night. I have seen them parking on the streets of Fort Bragg. Cautions must be taken.
Most likely COVID-19 was in this county for the last few months. Without testing, how would we know how many asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic people have contracted the virus? As a healthy 75 year old, I had a mild cough that lasted for about 3 days back in February! The cough puzzled me, since there didn’t seem to be any reason for it, nor did it last long enough to attribute it to a cold or bronchitis (which I don’t have) or any other typical cause. I have talked to quite a few who have similar stories. Looking back they realize they might have picked up the coronavirus.
Vulnerable people like yourself need to be careful or cared for, but the rest of us should not be held prisoners for the few. It defeats the very concept of mass immunity through exposure, a natural process that has proven beneficial throughout human history. Delaying that process means dragging this whole emotionally and financially destructive quarantine out indefinitely and putting people like you in danger long after a typical flu season would have ended.
Your worry is far more dangerous than the virus. I say that respectfully and with actual concern for your health.
SARS 2 has been circulating in Mendocino County for months. There’s no question of that. The potential for “containment” ended once it arrived in California.
Clear your mind, and do what you can to boost your immune system. There are many supplements you may take: Vitamin C, D3, Selenium among them. Do your own research – don’t trust the blabbering “trusted experts” OR me! See for yourself in the literature.
On the coast they are doing 0 testing and this is the place that most out of town people come .There are cars all around the trails of the Stornetta Lands. I don’t know how they can tell us how many cases we have when there is 0 testing being done on the coast!
Marillyn B, I don’t think I could have said it better myself. Well written. We need to be talking about how we’re going to get the country opened up again, not letting fear of the unknown rule out lives.
We need not to be fools and invite a rash of cases. If we had had a lot of asymoptomatic and mild cases back in February, we would also have had severe cases. That’s what the stats tell us. Because we buckled down and more or less kept to ourselves, we have not seen an outbreak. But there is no apparent immunity here in la-la-land, and when it comes for us, it will come for us just as it has in places where public officials and citizens dismissed the risks. What we need, as Mary Rose says, is testing to be able to deal with cases as they arise and with all their contacts.
Yes, life must resume! Please, please remove Dr. Doohan from her post! All she is capable of is copy and paste health orders from Bay Area ! How stupid is that! Mendo county needs and deserves to be opened up for business. Please Dr. Doohan resign!
Here are statistics from the CDC: “8 out of 10 deaths reported in the U.S. have been in adults 65 years old and older.”
It does not matter if you are healthy, the fact that you are 75 is a high risk factor. Your body’s immune system does not function the way it used to, so please be just as cautious as anyone else with high risk factors. I am curious about the idea of all out exposure to create mass immunity. We have already seen various states and countries who decided that sheltering in place was “too boring” or not necessary and chose mass exposure. It caused mass deaths, not mass immunity. I am trying to understand why certain people are not looking at the other reasons we are staying in, such as staying put so hospital personal are not inundated with highly infectious ill and dying people. Are we really that selfish, self centered, and spoiled that we boohoo over something so trivial like having to stay home for a few weeks? We could be like Italy where the dead are stacked in the streets and left in homes. My sister’s friend, a very healthy 26 yr old recently recovered after 28 days of what she says was the absolute worst thing she ever went through. She was tested for antibodies, and has none. Not everyone has been creating immunity to this bizarre virus caused by the carnivorous eating habits of a bloodthirsty population.
I’ll thank you not to make a medical diagnosis of my immune system. I’ll be 76 in one month and I have never taken a flu shot and never get flu. I use alternative medicine like herbal and homeopathic remedies, eat organic foods, raw goat milk, fermented foods, etc. When I traveled to Haiti I was advised to get an inoculation against malaria, which is endemic there. I refused and instead dosed with malaria nosode. In spite of being bitten by mosquitoes (no window screens), I’m fine, never had an episode in 9 years.
FYI, I am not bored, so stop second guessing my motives for questioning the ridiculous protocols that are supposed to save us from certain death. If I never left my house or yard I’d have plenty to occupy my time. Unfortunately, many do not have the privilege of taking time off from a job or education. They are suffering from failing businesses, lack of employment, curtailment of educational opportunities—there are limits to how much learning can be achieved online—and loneliness & social isolation.
If you have proof that the dead are stacked in the streets of Italy I’d like to see it. (Oh, but CNN, the Compromised News Network, says so!) Most of the deaths here and abroad are attributable to other chronic or terminal illnesses (“co-morbidities’), but the CDC has issued a directive to falsify records to indicate that COVID-19 was the cause of death. Sweden has not placed its population in quarantine and guess what? They are seeing a much more rapid downscaling of the epidemic than countries where the lockdowns are rigidly enforced, which makes me wonder where these other states and countries are that you claim are experiencing “mass deaths” due to lax policies. You are welcome to live out your life in fear, lapping up all the falsehoods and foolishness the government and the complicit MSM dishes up, but I’ll manage my life according to what works for me, thank you very much.
#1) the Centers for Diminished Competence, and Propaganda, is not a source we should trust – all of their “statistics” and “analysis” and “recommendations” are subject to question, for very good reason;
#2) House Arrest, or what you and the government euphemistically call “shelter-in-place” (sic) is not science, but BELIEF. Sweden’s and Belarus’ figures don’t’ show this apocalypse of death you believe would happen if we let natural herd immunity develop;
#3) objecting to House Arrest is neither “selfish,” “self-centered,” nor “spoiled” for those who are suffering economic tragedy now, with many businesses and thousands folks here in Mendocino County experiencing that right now. Multiply that by thousands for the whole country. It is utterly pathetic that people of privilege such as yourself are unable and/or apparently unwilling to see that these House Arrests are not mere “inconvenience,” but real, tangible moderate to severe injury to so many. YOU have money, food, a job (?), but so many do NOT.
#4) why are YOU so selfish that you demand people surrender their livelihoods and inalienable (that means CANNOT be taken away) rights so YOU can “feel safe”?
#5) your agenda is clear from your final statement: the virus did NOT originate in the Wuhan “wet market” as alleged, but that hasn’t stopped vee-gun fanatics from bashing people over the head with that lie.
Covelo is cancer.
Hi, we disagree, and we don’t allow comments directly attacking individuals, or entire towns. Please edit or we’ll remove.
Huh? Those folks up there had nothing to do with engineering this virus or the plandemic being foisted on the world. I also utterly reject any “they brought it upon themselves” stupidity, since these House Arrests are causing direct injury to countless people. To be honest, I feel great empathy for the Round Valley community, since the government hasn’t always been “beneficial” or benevolent for those folks. Learn the history of how the reservation arose.
I was informed yesterday, 4/28/20, that the Mendocino Coast District Hospital last week tested 200 people here on the Coast focusing on certain important groups: Health care workers, first responders, grocery store employees and members of the homeless population. The results weren’t back but expected imminently. I found that comforting, though.
I appreciate my neighbors who are protecting and caring for me just as I’m protecting them by observing all the sensible recommended behaviors.
Linda Perry
Fort Bragg
P.S. A shout-out to The Mendocino Voice for all the great real-time reporting. Feels like the real thing!
I’m heading to Patreon at: https://www.patreon.com/MendocinoVoice to help.
As a correction to my numbers above, I’ve just read a report online from the FB City Manager, Tabatha Miller, that 120 tests have been done,(not 200 as I mistakenly wrote above) some are now returned and are negative and we await the final 18 results.
https://city.fortbragg.com/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/1072
Linda Perry
Hi Linda, thanks for your support! We are planning to follow up on the results of that Fort Bragg testing effort as well, we hope to have another update soon.
Name : Cherrie Tañada