COVID case spike prompts new county guidelines amid upcoming holiday

EUREKA, Calif. (KIEM)-Humboldt County’s Health Officer Doctor Teresa Frankovich said, this week, that community members should be concerned with the recent rise in positive COVID cases.

“The trend that were seeing is alarming and it is very likely that it will land us in the purple tier in short order,” she said. “ I think that when we look at our local case count we’ve more than tripled those in, very recently and acceleration at this pace is exactly the thing we are trying to avoid throughout.”

Frankovich says, it will take assistance from the community to help stop the spread. Those contacted about their case are asked to be honest and transparent with health officials.

When it comes to Thanksgiving gatherings, Frankovich says, there is really no safe way to gather indoors around a table while eating with masks off. 

“We’re seeing a single gathering around a table leads to multiple infections in that group,” she said. “You’re just very vulnerable, so I think that if people are going to have, even the three households gather, ideally, if you can’t be outdoors you should be distanced.

“If you have to unmask you should clearly be distanced for eating, and make the room as ventilated as possible.”

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