Mendocino County reports second person dead from coronavirus

A second person in Mendocino County has died from complications of the coronavirus, county officials said Friday.

The 63-year-old man had underlying health conditions and was a resident at Sherwood Oaks Health Center, a skilled nursing center in Fort Bragg. He died there Thursday.

The death is linked to a cluster of coronavirus cases at the nursing center, said Sarah Dukett, the county’s deputy chief executive. The county is awaiting confirmation of how many people at the health center have tested positive for COVID-19.

The fatality comes after officials on Wednesday confirmed Mendocino County’s first virus-related death. That was an 80-year-old Ukiah man who had died on July 1 at a Marin County outpatient center. He reportedly attended a Mother’s Day church service in Ukiah, which local authorities linked to a COVID-19 outbreak and was reported by The Press Democrat.

On Friday, Mendocino County Health Officer Dr. Noemi Doohan issued a revised public health emergency order. Starting next Friday, she will preemptively shutter many more businesses in anticipation of being added to the state’s coronavirus watchlist.

Effective at 11:59 p.m. July 24, the county will close gyms, barbershops, nail salons, indoor malls, nonessential offices and places of worship, unless they can operate outdoors.

While Mendocino County is not among the over 30 counties, including Sonoma County, now on the state’s watchlist, Doohan expects Mendocino soon will be added due to a recent spike in virus cases and hospitalizations. Counties on the watchlist for at least three days are forced to temporarily close the same business sectors Doohan listed in her revised order.

On Wednesday, Doohan initially announced the order was set to go into effect July 17 before midnight. In a statement Friday, she said she decided to push back the effective date of her directive to provide businesses more time to prepare for the shutdown. If the state requires Mendocino County to close businesses before the new effective date, Doohan will revise her order to bring it in line with state requirements.

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday ordered the closure of indoor dining and drinking at restaurants, wineries and breweries, and closed bars, movie theaters and other indoor businesses statewide. Counties struggling most with virus outbreaks that land on the watchlist for three days must close the wider range of business sectors such as gyms and hair salons, among the others, for up to three weeks or maybe longer.

As of Friday afternoon, Mendocino County reported 177 overall confirmed coronavirus cases, including seven people now hospitalized and four in intensive care at hospitals. There are 98 who have recovered.

You can reach Staff Writer Ethan Varian at ethan.varian@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5412. On Twitter @ethanvarian.