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MENDOCINO Co., 6/19/20 — Mendocino County Public Health issued a revised shelter-in-place order this morning that will go into effect in Mendocino County at 3 p.m. today, and brings the county requirements in line with newly released statewide guidelines for the COVID-19 pandemic. This revised order will bring Mendocino County into Phase 3 of the state’s re-opening guidelines, and will be in effect until July 3, 2020, at which point new guidelines are expected.
County staff including Interim Public Health Officer Dr. Noemi Doohan, will hold a press conference at 2 p.m. Friday to outline the new order and provide updates on the COVID-19 pandemic in Mendocino County, including the jump in new cases this week that officials have connected to two different graduation parties and a church service in Ukiah. The new order, which will go into effect Friday afternoon, will allow for personal care services as well as other eligible businesses to re-open in accordance with state guidelines, and includes adjustments and clarifications for lodging, childcare, and other requirements from the previous county order. The order also includes the new statewide masking requirement announced by Governor Newsom on Thursday.
Mendocino County currently has 54 people who have tested positive for COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, with the majority of cases so far in the Ukiah area, and where public officials have determined “community spread” is occurring. On Thursday, an additional case was reported in a north county resident.
Mendocino County public health officials have issued this new shelter-in-place order in part due to the “relatively low” number of local cases, and the lack of COVID-19 related deaths up until this point within the county, but residents, especially anyone who may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, or who is an essential worker, is encouraged to get tested. Free testing is currently available in Ukiah, as well as through local hospitals and private medical providers, and county staff has also been conducting additional surveillance testing around the county.
Businesses that are eligible for re-opening, as with previous health orders, will need to self-certify with their re-opening plan at the county’s business webpage.
The announcement from Mendocino County Public Health regarding the new order can be read below, and the revised order can be found in full at this link.
Health Order Revised to Align with New Statewide Guidance
Post Date: 06/19/2020 10:39 AM
On June 12, 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom issued guidance for new allowable activities under Stage 3 of reopening, starting June 19, 2020, for counties, such as Mendocino, with approved attestations and variance.
As such, and due to relatively low cumulative number of COVID-19 cases (54) and no related deaths in Mendocino County since the beginning of this pandemic, Health Officer Dr. Noemi Doohan issued a revised Shelter-In-Place (SIP) Order today, Friday, June 19, 2020, which will be effective at 3:00 p.m., allowing Mendocino County to open up additional industries under Stage 3 and some revisions to clarify additional areas of the Order. In addition, the Order was revised to account for the newly issued State Order effective June 18, 2020, broadly requiring facial coverings statewide when in public or common spaces and which will apply to all industries.
Following State Guidance, the Health Officer re-opened Personal Care Services, a broad sector including personal care which requires touching a client’s face or body, e.g., esthetician, skin care, cosmetology, nail salons, waxing, body art professional, piercing shops, non-medical massage therapy, etc. This varied sector includes a statewide requirement that workers must wear a face covering throughout the entire interaction with the customer, and customers must wear wearing face coverings, except during a face treatment. The Health Officer also recommends that workers take additional measures to protect themselves from exposure.
The Health Officer also clarified that industries which have been re-opened by the State per Industry Guidance (but are not specifically referenced in the local Health Officer’s Orders), may reopen in accordance with the State’s Guidance.
The order also includes revisions to transient lodging. Recognizing that some households include extended family in one household, the updated Stage 3 Order is revised to state each room, unit, or vacation rental (regardless of size) may only be occupied by no more than one household or living unit, including up to no more than 4 adults and the children of that single household or living unit. Additionally, the Health Officer clarified the purpose for the 24 hour vacancy between each separate occupancy (and 48 hours for Vacation Rentals). Further, while public saunas, steam rooms and hot tubs should remain closed in any transient lodging establishment, private hot tubs in such establishments, for use by only one household are permitted, provided that they are drained and cleaned in between each reservation’s use.
The industry specific restrictions and state guidance information can be found in the Health Order. BEFORE businesses can reopen, they must comply with State and County guidelines, and file the Mendocino County self-certification form, developed by the County of Mendocino in collaboration with West Business Development Center, found at https://www.mendocinocountybusiness.org/. Additionally, all Permissible Higher Risk Businesses allowed in this new SIP order must file their Safe Business Reopening Plan for publication on the Mendocino county business website.
In addition, the updated Stage 3 Order provides an exemption to the self-certification requirement for Schools and School-based programs, and clarifies that guidelines for Childcare and other programs do not apply to public and private schools, early childhood education, and K-12 schools, which must instead follow the applicable (currently interim) State Guidelines for Schools and School-Based Programs (https://covid19.ca.gov/pdf/guidance-schools.pdf).
Mendocino County’s revised SIP goes in effect today Friday, June 19 at 3:00 p.m. and will be in place until 3:00 p.m. on July 3, 2020. A revised order will be released upon the expiration of this Order.
The Health Order and summary of major changes are posted online at https://www.mendocinocounty.org/community/novel-coronavirus/health-order. The order is enforceable by imprisonment and/or fine thus we urge all residents and businesses to closely read the order and follow it.
More information on Governor Newsom’s resilience roadmap and four-staged plan to reopen California, please visit: https://covid19.ca.gov/roadmap/. For more information on the businesses/sectors that fall within the various stages of re-opening, please view the Resilience Roadmap Business Sector Chart. The Mendocino County approved attestation is available to view on the California Department of Public Health’s Website.
For more on COVID-19:
Call Center: (707) 234-6052 or email [email protected]
The call center is open Monday-Friday from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
