From the Humboldt County Joint Information Center:

The State of California has retired the “Blueprint for a Safer Economy,” and Humboldt County — effective today — has lifted two local health orders, removing nearly all COVID-19 pandemic-related precautions.

Humboldt County Health Officer Dr. Ian Hoffman rescinded the Shelter-in-Place and Facial Coverings orders originally issued more than a year ago. Isolation & Quarantine Orders remain in effect and will be reviewed and revised in the coming days to reflect the most recent guidance from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

All California residents now fall under the State Public Health Officer Order issued on June 11, which outlines ongoing COVID-19 safety measures.

As of today, fully vaccinated individuals no longer need to maintain physical distance or wear masks in most settings. Unvaccinated individuals must continue to wear masks in indoor public settings, and all people must wear masks in the following places, regardless of vaccination status.

  • Public transit and transportation hubs

  • Indoors in K-12 schools, childcare and other youth settings

  • Health care settings

  • State and local correctional facilities and detention centers

  • Homeless shelters, emergency shelters and cooling centers.

Read the state’s order in full at https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/Order-of-the-State-Public-Health-Officer-Beyond-Blueprint.aspx.

Employers and employees are regulated by CalOSHA regulations put in place in November of last year, which require masking in the workplace. CalOSHA is expected to update COVID-19 safety standards this Thursday to more closely align with the state’s masking order.

Customer masking is determined by an individual business’s policies. According to CDPH, businesses have three options to accommodate unvaccinated individuals:

  • Provide information to all patrons, guests and attendees regarding vaccination requirements and allow vaccinated individuals to self-attest that they are in compliance prior to entry.

  • Implement vaccine verification to determine whether individuals are required to wear a mask.

  • Require all patrons to wear masks.

CDPH notes that, “No person can be prevented from wearing a mask as a condition of participation in an activity or entry into a business.” Read the states’s masking guidance in full at cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/guidance-for-face-coverings.aspx.

Dr. Hoffman called this a good day for county residents and businesses and described the removal of local and state health orders as an “important milestone” that demonstrates the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines. “Those who are fully vaccinated can go without masking or distancing with confidence,” Dr. Hoffman said. “Our local EOC team has spent countless hours, and community members have done their part to get us through this. Removing these orders shows that our hard work has paid off.”

Dr. Hoffman continued to urge caution for those who are unvaccinated or not yet old enough to get vaccinated.

“Anyone who is still unvaccinated, including 13% of the population who are ineligible due to age, we continue to encourage adherence to all public health guidelines until you are fully vaccinated.”

Read the local order rescinding previous orders at humboldtgov.org/DocumentCenter/View/96535/Rescind-SIP-Mask-Order—-June-15-2021.

View the Humboldt County Data Dashboard online at humboldtgov.org/dashboard, or go to humboldtgov.org/DashboardArchives to download today’s data.

For the most recent COVID-19 information, visit cdc.gov or cdph.ca.gov. Local information is available at humboldtgov.org or by contacting covidinfo@co.humboldt.ca.us or calling 707-441-5000.