UPDATED: Wednesday, July 22 at 6 PM
The City of Arcata is monitoring COVID-19 and is working with, and following all recommended guidelines from, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the California Department of Public Health and the Humboldt County Department of Health & Human Services.
The spread of COVID-19 is a rapidly evolving situation, and the City is dedicated to keeping the community safe and informed during this unprecedented time.
The total number of Humboldt County residents who have tested positive for COVID-19 stands at 200 after 5 additional cases were confirmed today, Wednesday July 22. For more information, please click here and here.
The City of Arcata is actively working with Humboldt County health agencies to protect our community, prepare for more local cases and assist in maintaining the health and safety of our region. All residents are encouraged to stay at home to slow the spread of the virus.
Updated information will be provided on this webpage as it becomes available.
Stay at Home Orders
UPDATED: Tuesday, May 19 at 5:30 PM
The Governor has ordered all California residents to shelter in place until further notice. This order is to ensure the maximum number of people self-isolate to the greatest extent possible, while allowing essential services to continue, in order to slow the spread of COVID-19.
- California residents may leave their homes to seek or provide essential services such as obtaining medical care or supplies, grocery shopping, refilling prescriptions and caring for an ill family member.
- Residents may also leave their home to seek or provide nonessential services outlined by the State and County.
- Those who leave their homes are expected to wear a mask or face covering and maintain social distancing guidelines and keep a distance of 6 feet away from those not in their household.
Click here to see the order in its entirety. For answers to frequently asked questions about essential services pertaining to this order, please click here.
Hours before the State issued order, the Humboldt County Department of Public Health put an order in place that directs all individuals living in Humboldt County to shelter in place beginning midnight, Friday, March 20. Given that the San Francisco Bay Area is experiencing outbreaks of COVID-19 with extensive community spread, Humboldt County recognizes the imminent threat presented to the public’s health. To read the original County order in full, please click here.
- On Monday, March 30, Humboldt County issued an updated Health Order further enhancing the Shelter in Place requirements for County residents.The updated order can be found here.
- On Friday, May 8, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services updated the allowable services list to reflect changes made to the California Stay-at-Home Order and clarify which local businesses can reopen in this stage of the state’s reopening plan. Please click here for more information, and click here to review the updated list.
- On Tuesday, May 19, the Humboldt County Health Officer issued an Order to modify the Shelter-in-Place Order and allow additional businesses to reopen once their safety plan is approved. Please click here to learn more.
Local News Updates
UPDATED: Wednesday, July 22 at 6 PM
- County and State officials are encouraging agriculture and livestock business owners to adjust workplace protocol and behavior to prevent the spread of COVID-19. For more information, click here.
- Nearly five months into the COVID-19 pandemic response, Humboldt County’s costs top $4.3 million. Click here to learn more.
- The Humboldt County Emergency Operations Center added an Alert Level Assessment Tool on the COVID-19 Data Dashboard. Click here to view the dashboard.
- Humboldt County Health Officer Dr. Teresa Frankovich has noted the inherent risk associated with travel during a pandemic and the potential for increased spread locally. Please click here to learn more.
- California Governor Gavin Newsom announced a statewide order to close bars and transition six industry sectors to outdoor-only operations to limit spread of COVID-19. Local implementation has begun and will take full effect Friday, July 17. For more information, click here.
- The OptumServe public testing site located at Redwood Acres continues to experience an increase in demand for appointments and has been at or near maximum capacity for the last three weeks. Click here to learn more.
- More than 2,100 businesses have been certified to reopen by the Humboldt County Emergency Operations Center, with plan review and approval often completed in a single day. The County encourages residents to support local businesses that have committed to protect the health and safety of both employees and customers. When shopping at local businesses, look for an official reopening certificate, which should be prominently displayed on each certified storefront. A list of certified Humboldt County businesses sorted by sector can be found here.
- Gatherings of any size are still prohibited by the state of California. For more information, please click here.
- There is a face covering mandate for the State of California. Please click here to learn more.
- Humboldt County Health Officer Dr. Teresa Frankovich has issued updated travel guidance for County residents who are traveling outside of Humboldt County. Please click here to learn more.
- The Humboldt County Health Officer issued an Order to modify the Shelter-in-Place Order and allow additional businesses to reopen once their safety plan is approved. Please click here to learn more.
- The Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services has launched an online portal for businesses to submit a Reopening Plan in preparation for a gradual lifting of California’s Stay-at-Home Order. Please click here for more information.
- To help avoid the spread of COVID-19 at construction job sites, the City of Arcata requires that all active construction job sites within the City follow new safety protocols until further notice. Please click here to learn more.
- Humboldt County residents can now schedule a free COVID-19 test at the new OptumServe Testing site at Redwood Acres Fairgrounds in Eureka. Please click here for more information.
- The Order of the Health Officer requiring county residents to wear facial coverings was updated Tuesday, April 28, to clarify guidance specifically on masking children and on masks with valves. The rest of the guidance remains the same. Click here for more information and to review the updated order.
- Humboldt County Public Health continues to expand their contact tracing capabilities. Contact tracing is a method of determining how many people may have been exposed to a person confirmed to have COVID-19. The goal is to prevent spread of the virus by identifying those with possible exposures and isolating those who are ill while quarantining those who are healthy but may develop symptoms within the next 14 days. This helps to avoid transmission of the infection to additional individuals in the community. More information can be found here.
- The Environmental Services Department has temporarily designated some narrow stretches of trail at the Arcata Marsh & Wildlife Sanctuary as one-way routes. Maps showing the designated one-way trail sections will be posted at the marsh’s parking lot kiosks, trailhead kiosks and at the Interpretive Center’s door. A printable version of the map is also available here.
- The Humboldt County COVID-19 Compliance Tip Line is now active. If you are concerned that a person or business is not complying with the Shelter in Place Order, you are welcome to call (707) 441-3022.
- Public Health strongly recommends that individuals cancel non-essential travel. Travel not only increases your own risk of acquiring a COVID-19 infection, it increases the risk within our community.
- High-risk travel is no longer limited to international destinations. Any travel to areas with community level transmission presents opportunities for exposure to COVID-19. All travelers to these areas, whether international or domestic, should be self-quarantining, which means staying at home except for accessing needed health care, for at least 14 days upon return.
- The Arcata Community Forest and the Arcata Marsh & Wildlife Sanctuary are experiencing high volumes of visitors since the stay at home orders have been in place. The City would like community members to continue to be able to enjoy pubic trails during this time, and Community Forest and Marsh visitors are highly encouraged to walk or ride bicycles to avoid parking lot gathering much as possible.
- Arcata City playgrounds, the Arcata Skate Park and City basketball, tennis and all other playing courts are closed until further notice.
- The City of Arcata has taken steps to formally recognize the existence of a local emergency. This Proclamation does not signify an increased risk to Arcata residents, but strongly acknowledges the existing risk COVID-19 poses to the community. The Proclamation allows the City additional flexibility to acquire resources, manage essential City staff, provide or receive mutual aid from other jurisdictions and assists in securing State and Federal Disaster funds. Click here to read the Proclamation in full.
- Humboldt County Schools are closed in response to COVID-19. A list of school closures provided by the Humboldt County Office of Education can be found here.
- Humboldt State University has taken many precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19. For the most recent updates from Humboldt State University, please click here.
Please click here for the latest local updates from the Humboldt County Department of Health & Human Services or to sign up to receive Humboldt County Health Alerts. Information will be updated Monday through Saturday and posted here.
Community members may also contact the County directly by emailing covidinfo@co.humboldt.ca.us or calling 707-441-5000.
For medical advice or questions regarding COVID-19 testing, contact Humboldt County Public Health by emailing hhsphb@co.humboldt.ca.us or calling 707-445-6200.