Napa County Ends COVID-19 State Of Emergency

NAPA COUNTY, CA — The Napa County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to end the local COVID-19 state of emergency.

The local declaration helped the county respond to the coronavirus pandemic, including mobilizing county resources, accelerating emergency planning and response, and allowing for future COVID-19 response reimbursement by state and federal governments.

The board's action comes after California's COVID-19 state of emergency ended Feb. 28 and ahead of the May 11 expiration date for the federal COVID-19 state of emergency.

State and local public health officials continue to urge California residents to complete their initial COVID vaccination series if they have yet to do so and, if eligible, receive a booster vaccine dose to reduce the chance of becoming seriously ill or dying due to the virus.

As of March 9, 79.9 percent of Napa County residents have completed their initial COVID vaccination series. Roughly two-thirds of residents have also received at least one booster vaccine dose.

Since the pandemic began, the county has confirmed 34,569 cases of COVID and 192 COVID-related deaths among county residents.

Updates To COVID-19 Isolation Guidelines For The General Public

Napa County will follow new California Department of Public Health recommendations for the isolation of individuals infected with COVID-19 that went into effect March 13 and align with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A person who tests positive for COVID-19 will no longer need a negative COVID-19 test to end their 10-day isolation early. Instead, a person who tests positive for COVID-19 in Napa County may now end isolation after five days and return to work or school if their symptoms have improved or gone away and if they have not had a fever within 24 hours, without taking fever-reducing medication. The person must continue to wear a well-fitting mask when around others for the rest of their original 10-day isolation period.

The guidelines above are for the general public and do not currently apply to healthcare settings such as general acute care hospitals, acute psychiatric hospitals and skilled nursing facilities. Updated guidance for healthcare settings is listed in the Napa County Health Advisory released March 10.

Regulations For Workplaces

Workplaces must follow regulations set by Cal/OSHA. The state has been working closely with Cal/OSHA to ensure alignment with its recommendations. Napa County urged employers to refer to updates from Cal/OSHA and other regulatory agencies.

—Bay City News Service contributed to this report.