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This afternoon, county public information officer Samantha Karges hosted a discussion with Public Health Officer Dr. Teresa Frankovich and Sheriff Billy Honsal on today’s announcement by Gov. Gavin Newsom, which paves the way for local jurisdictions to allow for certain businesses to partially reopen as soon as Friday.

Mostly, those would be businesses that have previously been deemed “non-essential,” so long as they are able to follow certain safety guidelines, including curbside delivery to customers.

Though Frankovich and Honsal said that they’re waiting for more detailed information from the state, they’re optimistic that Humboldt County has progressed far enough, in terms of COVID-19 testing capacity and the ability to trace contacts of individuals who have been determined to be infected, to be on the bleeding edge of reopening.

“I believe we’ll be set up,” said Honsal. “Dr. Frankovich and the EOC have put us in a position to that we can set up and go to Phase 2 on Friday.”

The matter will be further discussed at the Board of Supervisors’ virtual meeting tomorrow morning.

“It’s nice to be able to deliver some good news,” Frankovich said.