From the Humboldt County Joint Information Center:
Public
Health’s Communicable Disease team today issued blanket isolation
and quarantine orders at humboldtgov.org/blanketorders
to help Humboldt County be better positioned for an increase in new
COVID-19 infections.These
orders, formally called Mass Isolation and Mass Quarantine orders,
apply to all Humboldt County residents who have contracted COVID-19
or who were exposed to the virus and may be contagious. Both orders
require a person to stay at their home or another residence until the
contagious period has passed.
Isolation
keeps people with COVID-19 separate from those who are not sick.Quarantine
keeps people who have been exposed to the virus separate from others
until it is certain they are not contagious.Previously,
someone who tested positive for COVID-19 and anyone else who may have
been exposed to the virus were issued individual orders for isolation
and quarantine as part of the contact tracing process. These orders
included name and address and were formally issued once test results
were known. Humboldt County Health Officer Dr. Teresa Frankovich said
the goal with these blanket orders is to put information in people’s
hands at the time they are being tested, so that those who test
positive have everything they need to act immediately.“We
will continue to reach out to everyone who tests positive for
COVID-19 as part of our regular contact investigations, but as case
numbers grow and the number of contacts for each case increases, we
want to be sure that there is no delay in individuals knowing what
they need to do to keep themselves, their family and our community as
safe as possible,” Dr. Frankovich said. “This model has been used
for some time in larger counties and simply helps to increase
efficiency when there are larger numbers of cases to manage.”The
informational packet includes copies of the blanket orders and
instructions for home care during isolation or quarantine. To read
the documents in full, visit humboldtgov.org/blanketorders.For
the most recent COVID-19 information, visit cdc.gov
or cdph.ca.gov.
Local information is available at humboldtgov.org
or during business hours by contacting covidinfo@co.humboldt.ca.us
or calling 707-441-5000.