Courtesy of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Three more Del Norte County residents died from COVID-19 this week, boosting the county’s death toll to 46 as of Thursday from 43 on Friday, the Public Health Branch reported.

The latest death occurred Wednesday as the Public Health Branch announced it would update coronavirus data twice a week — Tuesdays and Thursdays — as it transitions from a pandemic response to an endemic one.

“The goal of these changes is to provide our community with strategic updates regarding the state of COVID-19 in the community moving forward,” public health officials stated Wednesday.

Also on Wednesday, Del Norte County’s Public Health Officer announced that statewide indoor mask requirements for unvaccinated individuals are no longer in effect. However, masks must still be worn regardless of vaccination status in public transit settings, healthcare settings, emergency shelters, correctional facilities, homeless shelters and long-term care facilities.

Statewide mask requirements in K12 schools and childcare settings will also end as of March 12, according to the Del Norte Public Health Branch. However, masks and testing are still recommended for children and staff after the mandate ends.

As of Wednesday, 20 new COVID-19 cases were reported to the Public Health Branch with one occurring among the county’s incarcerated population. There were 39 active cases in Del Norte County and one person hospitalized with coronavirus symptoms, according to the Public Health Branch.

There are currently 13 inmates at Pelican Bay State Prison that have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

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