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Jail COVID Outbreak Infects Dozens
T
he COVID-19 outbreak at the Humboldt County jail had grown to infect 33 inmates and six correctional officers as the Journal went to press Dec. 21. Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Samantha Karges said in an email to the Journal the outbreak remained isolated in a single housing unit but had infected more than half the inmates there. While COVID-positive inmates were initially transferred into the jail’s medical unit to be kept in quarantine, Karges said the outbreak came to exceed the medical unit’s capacity and the jail has “created a COVID-19 positive celled unit to allow all inmates to be isolated.” She said medical staff is monitoring the converted unit. All inmates in the affected housing unit continue to be tested daily, she said. Karges said the first inmate in the unit tested positive Dec. 15 and the six correctional officers had tested positive for the virus before that date. She said it’s unclear if the correctional officer cases are related to the outbreak among inmates. Prior to the outbreak, Karges said staff were required to test for COVID-19 weekly, while inmates were tested during an initial 10-day quarantine after being booked into
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the facility. Those who refused testing were required to complete a 14-day quarantine. After the initial intake period, inmates were tested when requested “and/or” symptomatic, while inmates who were symptomatic but refusing a test were moved into isolation in the medical unit. Local reporter Kym Kemp interviewed several people currently incarcerated in the affected unit over the weekend and reported they told her many inmates do not wear masks in the facility, where physical distancing is often impossible, and questioned whether jail staff was acting appropriately to limit the virus’ spread. While inmates and staff at the jail had previously tested positive for COVID-19, this is the facility’s first significant outbreak since the pandemic’s start. Throughout the state and nation, jails and prisons — like other congregate living settings — have seen intense clusters of COVID-19 cases, and the local jail implemented strict screening protocols early in the pandemic to try to keep the virus out of the facility. It’s unclear what percentage of jail staff and inmates have been fully vaccinated, which has been shown to effective in preventing infections, extreme disease and death. (Sheriff’s Office Capt. Duane Christian estimated to Kemp about 50
Aquafarm EIR: The county of Humboldt has released a draft environmental impact report for Nordic Aquafarm’s proposed fish farm on the Samoa Peninsula. The company agreed to subject itself to the the more thorough standard of environmental review after environmental groups raised concerns. The Humboldt County Planning and Building Department will receive public comment on the document until Feb. 18. POSTED 12.20.21
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Photo by Caroline Titus, independent journalist
A 6.2 earthquake about 23 miles west of Petrolia gave Humboldt County a jolt shortly after noon Dec. 20. Shaking was reportedly felt from San Francisco all the way north to Oregon, though the Eel River Valley appears to have suffered the brunt of it, with numerous businesses — including Abraxas on Ferndale’s Main Street pictured here — reporting shattered windows and items toppling from store shelves. POSTED 12.20.21 percent of correctional officers are fully vaccinated.) The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors considered mandating vaccinations for county employees in October but instead decided to require
Manslaughter Arrest Follows Overdose: The Humboldt County Drug Task Force arrested James Charles Williamson II, 30, of Hoopa, on suspicion of manslaughter Dec. 20 after an investigation reportedly tied his sales of fentanyl to the Nov. 8 overdose of a woman in a Weitchpec home. Search warrants served in the case reportedly tied Williamson to the overdose investigation. POSTED 12.21.21
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unvaccinated employees to undergo weekly testing for the virus. — Thadeus Greenson POSTED 12.20.21
Homicide Arrests: California Highway Patrol officers arrested two suspects in an Oregon homicide east of Willow Creek Dec. 16. According to the CHP, an officer recognized two vehicles from a be-on-the-lookout broadcast from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office and initiated a traffic stop that ultimately took 42-year-old Jeremy Milton Lacy and 51-yearold Eileen Gay Lacy into custody without incident. POSTED 12:16.21
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Comment of the Week
Humboldt County’s sevenday average COVID-19 testpositivity rate as the Journal went to press Dec. 21, dwarfing the national average of 8 percent and the statewide average of 3 percent. POSTED 12.21.21
“Today, we are asking our local, state and federal partners to take a stronger stand against the trafficking of Native women and girls.”
“Up in Cutten in the Ridgewood area … place shook like hell. Stuff on shelves fell all over the place.”
— Yurok Tribal Chair Joseph L. James in a press release announcing the tribal council had issued an emergency declaration in response to a large number of local missing persons and attempted human trafficking incidents involving Native women. POSTED 12.17.21
— David M. Budde commenting on the Journal’s Facebook page on a post about the 6.2 earthquake on Dec. 20. POSTED 12.20.21
northcoastjournal.com • Thursday, Dec. 23, 2021 • NORTH COAST JOURNAL
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