Photo provided by the U.S. Army

Del Norte County’s sparse population and rural nature may have put it in a better position to manage its COVID-19 case count, but residents should still exercise caution, its public health officer says.

No new cases have been reported locally as of about 2:28 p.m. Tuesday, according to the county’s information page. Nine patients still have active disease and one person is still in the hospital, according to the Public Health Branch.

Speaking during a Del Norte Unified School District webinar on summer youth activities, Dr. Warren Rehwaldt said Wednesday a strict rule of thumb when it comes to public events is no more than 10 people. California isn’t likely to relax that rule soon, he said, given the spike in COVID-19 cases in its population centers.

Rehwaldt urged those planning summer events to look at the Del Norte County Office of Emergency Services’ Prepare Del Norte webpage for guidance on how to do so safely.

“We were asked fairly early on, about six weeks ago, to take a look at gymkhana events,” he said, using local youth equestrian activities as an example. “It involves very few people. It’s pretty much outdoors; people who attend are likely to camp there somewhere in town and not group together. We looked at it, estimated the number of people and proximity, and we don’t have a problem with this.”

Outdoor events are safer than indoor events, Rehwaldt said. Those planning activities should also take into account who’s involved and how close people would be to each other, he said.

Other local events and activities Rehwaldt said he was asked to comment on included outdoor teaching and someone who wanted to harvest seaweed.

“There’s stuff that’s happening at a low level with a few people that we’ve been able to approve without much hesitation,” he said.

Statewide, there were 9,500 new COVID-19 cases reported Tuesday, according to the Los Angeles Times. There are a total of 289,468 cases in California along with 6,562 deaths, the California Department of Public Health reported.

In some places, the volume of cases is making it difficult for case investigators to trace contacts, Rehwaldt said. Some communities, such as Los Angeles County, are having to restrict restaurant and bar activities in their areas because of the number of cases they’ve seen, he said.

“We’re not in any danger of that happening,” Rehwaldt said. “The way the state is monitoring this, if you fall into a situation they think your case numbers — and there are other factors they have that go into calculating this — are too high and it only goes on for three days, that’s enough to trigger a change and they will mandate us to close things down. I don’t want to see that happen in our community.”

According to Rehwaldt, Del Norte fitness centers will be able to reopen with protective measures in place on Friday.

Movie theaters, museums and galleries were able to reopen, and hotels could operate at full capacity as of June 26. Campgrounds, RV parks and outdoor recreation, along with lodging and short-term rentals were able resume on June 12. Bars and wineries will be able to reopen on July 24, according to Del Norte’s COVID-19 Information Hub.

During DNUSD’s webinar, Janet Gilbert gave a presentation about the second-annual Tansy Games competition, which targets the invasive plant tansy ragwort, carries a $500 grand prize and is being held through Sept. 7.

Sunny Baker, health education coordinator for CalFresh, also introduced parents to a virtual nutrition class for kids that will begin July 15. Classes include a Food Smart workbook, t-shirt, cookbook and recipe cards.

For more information, call (707) 464-3191 extension 2830 or email sbaker@co.del-norte.ca.us.

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