DNT317

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MIDWEEK EDITION

TUESDAY, March 17, 2020 S E R V I N G O U R C O M M U N I T Y S I N C E 1 8 7 9 • W W W. T R I P L I C A T E . C O M

Del Norte schools closing immediately By David Hayes Staff Writer

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fter an emergency meeting Sunday, the Del Norte Unified School District board voted unanimously to close all schools to prevent the spread of COVID-9, the novel coronavirus. The closure went into effect immediately, with schools closed

to students Monday, March 16 through April 10. Spring Break will remain in place April 13-17 and school will resume April 20. In addition to closing all district-operated preschools, the county superintendent authorized the closure of schools operated by the Del Norte County Office of Education. The closure does not include private schools

or preschools. Later Sunday, Uncharted Shores Academy followed DNUSD’s lead and canceled all classes and after-school electives and put its students on home study. DNUSD announced it will continue to provide its meals program for children through age 18 to receive free breakfast and lunch in a drive-

-through or take-and-go model. District officials also said it will work with providers to determine continuing support for students with individual educational programs (IEP), students with health-related services and students who receive mental health support.

Del Norte Unified School District schools will be More School on Page A2 closed through April 19. Photo by David Hayes.

Coronavirus cancellations

Regional events canceled in wake of gatherings ban T

o help stop the spread of COVID-19, Governor Gavin Newsom banned all gatherings of 250 people or more and strongly recommended that groups with 10 high-risk individuals be canceled. In the wake of this, regional events have been canceled or postponed. The following is a list of events The Triplicate is aware of: Sutter Health Sutter Health announced on its website in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency, it is restricting all visitors from its hospitals, effective immediately and until further notice. “During this time, it is critical that we protect vulnerable patients in our hospitals, as well as our healthcare workers and providers. Visitors may unwittingly pass the virus on to staff and patients, even when they aren’t showing symptoms of the illness,” Sutter Coast officials wrote. “We are taking extra precautions to reduce the risk of the spread of the disease, especially as we anticipate an increased volume of COVID-19 patients in the coming days.” Officials ask if you wish to visit a patient, to consider other means like telephone or videoconference. This will prevent the patient from in-person contact. Sutter Health will allow the partners of laboring persons to the delivery room and visitors in end of life situations. They also allow support for minors and people with disabilities. CR suspending classes the week following Spring Break College of the Redwoods (CR) is suspending classes following Spring Break, March 23-27. The college’s announcement comes in the wake of the World Health

Organization ( W H O ) announcing March 11 the COVID-19 virus outbreak is now officially a global pandemic and Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services declaration of a local health emergency throughout the county.

This will allow CR to prepare for the eventuality that they will need to suspend face-to-face instruction. This includes the main Eureka campus, the Del Norte Campus and the Klamath-Trinity instructional site. Instruction at Pelican Bay State Prison will continue with regularly scheduled classes. Faculty and staff will use this time to prepare to deliver instruction and student support services remotely if face-to-face instruction is suspended. At this time, CR expects the regular class schedule to resume on March 30. The residence halls will remain open for those students who live on campus. Also, CR has suspended all spring sports. “Although there are still no known cases of COVID-19 on any district campuses, and while Humboldt County has not seen community spread, it has occurred in nearby counties, and we have decided that the travel inherent to the sports season constitutes an unnecessary risk,” said CR Communications and Marketing Coordinator Jesse Wiedel in a press release. “We will continue to follow health guidelines and will provide updates to the student-athletes through their coaching staff.” Updates provided by the CCCAA and the Golden Valley Conference Commissioner regarding eligibility status of student-athlete participation will be distributed when they become available, Wiedel added. Disaster Preparedness Fair Due to Del Norte County’s COVID-19 response efforts, the Del Norte Office of Emergency Services More Cancellations on Page A2

Senior center suspends social activities due to COVID-19

Only to-go meals will be available to clients

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he Del Norte Senior Center is suspending all social activities for the rest of the month and making some changes to its dining program based on recommendations from state health officials. The center’s Board of Directors met Friday afternoon and released the following to The Triplicate: Because we work with the highest-risk population and based on social distancing guidance from the state and local health departments, we will be making the changes listed below. All changes start Monday, March 16 and will be in effect through the end of March. We will re-evaluate in April and proceed based on official health guidelines in effect at that time. • We are suspending all social activities for the remainder of March. This is because we cannot guarantee that participants will be able to keep the recommended social distance during activities that More Seniors on Page A2

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Spring Whale Watch Week returns T

he Spring Whale Watch Week event returns to the coast March 21-29 to celebrate the more than 25,000 Gray whales expected to migrate north past Oregon over the next few months. Trained volunteers will be stationed 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day at some of best whale watching sites on the coast, ready to help visitors spot the whales and to answer questions about the animals. A map of the whale watching sites is available online on the official whale watch webpage on the Oregon State Parks website. Due to lower volunteer turnout this year, not all sites will be staffed by volunteers or park rangers. Check the whale watch webpage for the latest information and updates before heading to

FORECAST

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(Left) A gray whale rises out of the ocean. (Right) Visitors flock to the Oregon Coast each winter to see the migration. Photos courtesy of Oregon State Parks.

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More Whales on Page A4

TIDES

WEDNESDAY THURSDAY

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the coast. Whale spotters can also visit the newly-renovated Whale Watching Center in Depoe Bay; it will be open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. The center features interactive whale exhibits and panoramic ocean views. A live stream of whale activity in Depoe Bay returns this spring too; watch it on the Oregon State Parks YouTube channel each day during the event, or catch the archived streams throughout the

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HIGH

Tues 12:24AM

Wed Thurs 1:52AM 3:07AM

LOW

6:28AM 7:43AM 8:52AM

HIGH

1:57PM 3:03PM 3:57PM

LOW

8:58PM

9:59PM

10:43PM

$1.50


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