Two more people have died from COVID-19 in Del Norte County as of Friday, according to the Public Health Branch.

Two more people have died from COVID-19, the Del Norte Public Health Branch reported Friday, bringing the total death count to 22 since the pandemic began last year.

Meanwhile, another 53 new cases were confirmed in the county on Friday, making for a total of 318 active cases. Twenty people are hospitalized with COVID-19, according to the Public Health Branch.

These new numbers come after Del Norte County's Public Health Officer, Dr. Aaron Stutz instituted a masking requirement in workplaces and public settings. He also strongly recommended that some businesses close their doors or consider limiting their operating capacity.

Stutz also urged employers to allow their staff to work remotely during the surge.

At a special meeting of the Del Norte County Board of Supervisors on Thursday, Stutz said reinstituting a masking requirement wasn't a decision he made lightly.

"This was a decision I took and have been developing over the last week in response to a number of people in the community contacting me and requesting that we have a masking mandate in our county," he said.

Though no new cases were identified among Del Norte County's incarcerated population on Friday, 29 inmates at Pelican Bay State Prison are still positive for COVID-19, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's Population COVID-19 Tracking web page.

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