Local Updates:
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 (CDPH) 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.
Updated information regarding COVID-19 will be provided here and on the homepage of this website as it becomes available. Please scroll down for local updates, information and resources.
The City is actively working with Humboldt County health agencies to protect the community, prepare for more local cases and assist in maintaining the health and safety of our region.
Please click here for the latest updates from the City of Arcata.
Please click here for the latest updates from the Humboldt County Department of Health & Human Services or to sign up to receive Humboldt County Health Alerts.
Community members may contact the County directly by emailing covidinfo@co.humboldt.ca.us or calling 707-441-5000.
For medical advice or questions about testing, contact Public Health by emailing hhsphb@co.humboldt.ca.us or calling 707-445-6200.
For updates from Humboldt State University, please click here.
For updates from Del Norte County, click here.
For more information on COVID-19 and the State of California’s response, click here.
Local Actions:
Public health measures are in now place to more quickly identify potential new cases of COVID-19, and the City will support the region to prevent the infection from spreading. Local and regional health care providers are ready to respond to additional cases of COVID-19.
The County is taking steps to ensure our local health care system is ready to respond effectively if needed and to ensure front-line health professionals have current information about the virus so they can take recommended actions and promptly report suspected cases to public health officials.
The Humboldt County Joint Information Center will now provide daily updates about local COVID-19 testing capabilities and results. The information will be updated Monday through Saturday and will be posted here.
We Need Your Help to Contain COVID-19
Individuals and businesses all have a role to play in reducing the spread of this virus in Arcata by implementing good hygiene practices, vigilant cleaning in shared spaces, home-stays for sick employees, implementing physical distancing practices and by staying at home.
Stay at Home
In the strictest response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States so far, 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. Those who leave their homes are expected to maintain social distancing guidelines and keep a distance of 6 feet away from those not in their household.
For answers to frequently asked questions about essential services pertaining to this order, please click here.
Click here to see the order in its entirety.
Failure to comply with any provisions of this order constitutes an imminent threat to public health. The order carries the force of law and breaking it could result in a misdemeanor.
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.
For answers to frequently asked questions about the County order, click here. To read the county order in full, click here.
For more information from Humboldt County Department of Health & Human Services about this order and more, please click here.
What is Social Distancing and How is it Achieved?
Social distancing or physical distancing is a practice recommended by public health officials to stop or slow down the spread of contagious diseases. It requires the creation of physical space between individuals who may spread certain infectious diseases. The key is to minimize the number of gatherings as much as possible and to achieve space between individuals when activities cannot be modified, postponed or cancelled.
Achieving space between individuals of approximately six feet is advisable to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Personal Preparation:
Public health officials are encouraging households to create a COVID-19 action plan and recommend the following:
Speak with family members, friends, neighbors and co-workers to discuss what to do if a COVID-19 outbreak occurs in Arcata and how you can support each other.
Plan ways to care for those who might be at greater risk for serious complications. This includes practical steps like ensuring you have sufficient medication and determining what supplies are needed, and if they can be delivered.
Create a list of local organizations that you and your household can contact in the event you need access to information, health care services, support and resources.
Create an emergency contact list.
Practice good personal health habits and plan for home-based actions.
Choose a room in your home that can be used to separate sick household members from those who are healthy, if possible.
Identify a separate bathroom for the sick person to use, if possible.
Devise a plan to clean these rooms, as needed, when someone is sick.
Be prepared in the case that your child’s school or childcare facility is temporarily dismissed.
Plan for potential changes at your workplace.
Learn about your employer’s emergency operations plan.
Ask about what sick-leave policies and telework options are available for you if needed.
Click here for more information provided by the CDC.
Travel Recommendations:
It is recommended that all community members minimize nonessential travel during this time.
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.
Three recent flights may represent a possible exposure for COVID-19 infection, either because an individual on board has become a confirmed case or because a close contact whose test is pending was on board.
3/16/20: United Flight #5827 from Los Angeles Airport to Arcata
3/18/20: DeltaFlight #4124 from Seattle to Medford
3/18/20: United Flight #5555 from San Francisco Airport to Arcata
It is important that individuals on these flights quarantine at home for 14 days after their flight and contact Public Health or their health care provider if they become ill with fever, cough or shortness of breath or other symptoms of concern.
This act of quarantining is critically important during this period, as we have yet to see clear community transmission in Humboldt County. It will help to slow transmission within our community, reduce risk for our most vulnerable residents and will lessen the impact on our health care system. This tool, in addition to sheltering in place, helps everyone remain healthy.
Please click here to find the CDC’s current travel notices.
Returning to Arcata:
All travelers, 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 returning to Arcata.
Call a healthcare provider for follow-up testing if:
You feel ill after returning or experience COVID-19 symptoms.
You were in close contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19.
You were in a health-care facility in an affected country, including the United States.
Please follow these precautions even if feeling well:
Stay at home, and avoid close contact with others.
Avoid close contact with other people, especially those with chronic conditions, a compromised immune system or seniors.
Do not attend work, school, social events or any other public gatherings.
Watch for symptoms like fever, cough or shortness of breath in yourself or family members.
Call a healthcare provider at the first sign of symptoms. Make arrangements to see a doctor from home before going to a health care facility, unless severely ill.
If severely ill and in need of immediate medical attention call 911 and inform them that you may have COVID-19.
