This graph shows total case count on the left axis. On the right axis are the daily new cases, as well as a 7 day, lagging, rolling average of daily increases. The green bars are holidays, beginning on the left with Memorial day, then Independence Day, Labor Day, Halloween, the day before Thanksgiving (no numbers were available on Thanksgiving), Christmas Eve, and New Year's Eve. A fairly obvious pattern of surges following holidays is evident. Since the end of the holiday season, and the change in the weather, cases have crashed.

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WILLITS, 3/12/21 — Thanks to changes in state policy, and a newly low and stable infection rate Mendocino County has been authorized to enter the less restrictive “red tier” COVID lockdown level. This change will take effect Sunday, county officials announced late today, and means that indoor dining, along with limited gym use, and other less vital indoor activities will be allowed to resume. Indoor religious worship was authorized weeks ago after the Supreme Court ruled that such religious practiced were Constitutionally protected, and the change to red tier will thus not result in any loosening of restriction around church occupancy. (Read more details about loosened restrictions in a press release from the County of Mendocino)

This is the official information from the state about percentage of tests conducted daily that come back positive, and the number of new cases per day. The state uses the average number of new cases per day normed to per 100,000 people rate, on a seven day lagging average, and the positive cases as the determiners of which “tier” the county sits in.

In recent weeks the number of new cases per day in Mendocino County has cratered, hovering steady around five people per day. Next week will mark the one year anniversary of the beginning of the COVID “lockdown,” as well as the anniversary of Mendocino’s first official case of the virus.

In that nearly one year 3,871 people in Mendocino County have tested positive for COVID, or 4.5% of the population, even with the extreme restrictions put in place, and the tremendous efforts of so many to mask-up and stop the spread of the virus. Of those 3,871 people, 45 have died of COVID, one more yesterday, for a death rate of 1.2%, substantially better than the worldwide average and nationwide average death rate. Likely contributing to this is the fact that as the spread of the virus surged this past winter, Mendocino and the northern third of the state, managed to avoid the kinds of spread rates of places like Los Angeles. Thanks to this our ICUs were never overwhelmed, and the stories of rationed and triaged care that became so common in other parts of the country were not repeated here.

Now vaccinations are well under way, and already about 29% of Mendocino residents have received at least one dose of a vaccine. With the worst of the surge over, vaccinations well underway, and the Biden Administration promising to complete the task of providing a vaccine to every adult who wants one before summer, it seems that this hellish year is passing, and a bright light shines at the end of the tunnel — but public health officials are urging that caution continue. If too many people return to normal behavior before vaccination is finish, we could see a rebound, and another surge.

Said Mendocino County Public Health Officer Dr. Andy Coren in the press release, “To those who ask me what they can do to continue to remain safe from this  virus, I say this: Please get vaccinated for COVID-19 when it is your turn. Do not turn down a  vaccine unless for medical reason. Continue to avoid large gatherings, and please remain  masked while in public. The biggest thing anyone can do to keep others around them safe  is to continue to get tested for COVID-19 at least once per month. This helps our county  open up further, and it ensures that you are not asymptomatically spreading the virus to others. Those who have been vaccinated should still get tested monthly, since you can still  spread the virus even if vaccinated.”

This graph shows people in regular hospital beds in green, people in the ICU in blue, and deaths in black. The dotted red line is the sum of normal hospitalizations and ICU patients giving total people in hospital. The orange line is the percentage of total recorded cases to date who have died. This number is a bit misleading because of the lag-time between contracting the virus and dying. However, even adjusting for the delay the death-rate remains quite low in Mendocino Co. as compared to other parts of the nation and world.
This graph shows the count of people hospitalized, in the ICU, in isolation, killed, and released. In addition there is a line called “Active Cases” which combines all statuses except releases. This last category is to provide a nice contrast between releases, and cases of current concern and deaths. It also includes a count of people in quarantine (that is, people who may have been exposed to COVID but have not tested positive or negative). Presented along the left axis in green, in log format, is people released from isolation because as more people are infected the number of people released will steadily go up and dwarf the other statuses, making the graph otherwise unreadable.

Read the press release below for complete details of the loosened restrictions:

Mendocino County Enters the State’s Red Tier 

Effective March 14, 2021, Mendocino County has been given the green light to enter the Red  Tier according to the state’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy. With this new Red Tier comes an  ease of some COVID-19 precautions.  

“I am thrilled that we can open our economy up further as a result of our dwindling COVID-19  case numbers,” said County Health Officer Dr. Andy Coren. “We have worked hard as a county  to accomplish this. To those who ask me what they can do to continue to remain safe from this  virus, I say this: Please get vaccinated for COVID-19 when it is your turn. Do not turn down a  vaccine unless for medical reason. Continue to avoid large gatherings, and please remain  masked while in public. The biggest thing anyone can do to keep others around them safe  is to continue to get tested for COVID-19 at least once per month. This helps our county  open up further, and it ensures that you are not asymptomatically spreading the virus to others.  Those who have been vaccinated should still get tested monthly, since you can still  spread the virus even if vaccinated.”  

COVID-19 precaution status of business sectors as mandated by the state (as of 3/14/21):

  • Grocery Stores: May now admit 100% capacity.  
  • Retail: May now admit a max of 50% capacity.  
  • Shopping Centers: May now admit a max of 50% capacity.  
  • Museums: May now have indoor activities with a max of 25% capacity. 
  • Places of Worship: May continue to have indoor activities with a max of 25% capacity.  
  • Movie theaters: May now have indoor activities with a max of either 100 people OR 25%  capacity, whichever is fewer.  
  • Gyms: May now have indoor activities with a max of 10% capacity. 
  • Restaurants Including Wineries, Breweries and Distilleries serving meals: May now have  indoor activities with a max of 100 people OR 25% capacity, whichever is fewer. 
  • Wineries, Breweries, Distilleries (where no meal is provided): May continue to operate  outdoors with the following modifications: Patrons must make reservations and sit at tables,  staying for a max of 90 minutes, and all serving of alcoholic beverages must end at 8 PM. 
  • Bars (where no meal is provided): Must remain closed. 
  • Long-Term Care Facilities: May restart in-person visits, while carefully maintaining specific  COVID-19 precautions, such as COVID-19 screenings for both residents and visitors, facial  covering usage, etc. This will likely take a few days to put in place. Please contact the facility  before going in person and review the state’s guidance concerning Long-Term Facilities here:  https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CHCQ/LCP/Pages/AFL-20-22.aspx  

For a detailed overview of business-specific mandates, please visit:  https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID 19/COVID19CountyMonitoringOverview.aspx (Under “Risk Criteria” – “specific tier based on  risk-based criteria”)

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Condado de Mendocino ingresa al Nivel Rojo del Estado 

Efectivo a partir del 14 de marzo de 2021, el Condado de Mendocino recibió luz verde para  ingresar al Nivel Rojo, de acuerdo con el Plan Estatal para una Economía Más Segura. Con  este nuevo Nivel Rojo, algunas precauciones relacionadas con COVID-19 serán relajadas.  

“Estoy encantado de que podamos abrir aún más nuestra economía como resultado de nuestro  número cada vez menor de casos COVID-19”, dijo el Dr. Andy Coren, Oficial de Salud del  Condado. “Hemos trabajado duro como condado para lograr esto. A aquellos que me  preguntan qué pueden hacer para seguir estando a salvo de este virus, les digo esto: Por favor  vacúnense contra el COVID-19 cuando sea su turno. No rechace una vacuna, a menos que sea  por motivos médicos. Continúe evitando grandes reuniones y continúe utilizando el cubrebocas  cuando esté en público. Lo más importante que puede hacer cualquier persona para mantener  a salvo a los que le rodean es seguir haciéndose la prueba de COVID-19, al menos una vez al  mes. Esto ayuda a que nuestro condado pueda abrir aún más, y garantiza que usted no esté  transmitiendo el virus a otras personas mientras esté asintomático. Aquellos que han sido  vacunados aún deben hacerse la prueba cada mes, ya que todavía pueden transmitir el virus  incluso si han sido vacunados”.  

Estado de precaución COVID-19 de los sectores empresariales, según lo ordena el  estado (a partir del 14/03/21):  

Tiendas de abarrotes: Ahora pueden admitir 100% de la capacidad.  

Minorista: Ahora puede admitir un máximo de 50% de la capacidad.  

Centros comerciales: Ahora pueden admitir un máximo de 50% de la capacidad.  Museos: Ahora pueden tener actividades bajo techo con un máximo de 25% de capacidad.  

Lugares de culto: Puede seguir teniendo actividades bajo techo con un máximo del 25% de  capacidad.  

Cines: Ahora pueden tener actividades en espacios interiores con un máximo de 100 personas,  o 25% de capacidad, lo que sea menor. 

Gimnasios: Ahora pueden tener actividades en espacios interiores con un máximo de 10% de  capacidad.  

Restaurantes, incluyendo vinerías, cervecerías y destilerías con servicio de comidas:  Ahora pueden tener actividades en espacios interiores con un máximo de 100 personas, o 25%  de capacidad, lo que sea menor.  

Vinerías, cervecerías, destilerías (donde no se ofrecen comidas): Pueden continuar  operando al aire libre con las siguientes modificaciones: los clientes deben hacer reservaciones  y ser acomodados en mesas, permanecer durante un máximo de 90 minutos, y todas las  bebidas alcohólicas deben terminar a las 8 pm.  

Bares (donde no se ofrecen comidas): Deben permanecer cerrados.  

Instalaciones de atención a largo plazo: Pueden reiniciar las visitas en persona, mientras  son cuidadosamente mantenidas las precauciones específicas de COVID-19, como las pruebas  de detección de COVID-19, tanto para residentes como para visitantes, uso de cubrebocas, etc.  Comuníquese con el establecimiento antes de ir en persona, y revise la guía del estado sobre  las instalaciones de largo plazo aquí:  

https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CHCQ/LCP/Pages/AFL-20-22.aspx

Para obtener una descripción detallada de los mandatos específicos para negocios,  visite: www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID 

19/COVID19CountyMonitoringOverview.aspx

Adrian Fernandez Baumann is the managing editor of The Mendocino Voice and a founder. He lives in the Willits area and has a dog named Bravo.

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