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- Written by: Lake County News reports
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace has offered additional information for county residents about what the governor’s new four-tier “Blueprint for a Safer Economy” in response to COVID-19 means for Lake County.
Gov. Newsom announced the new blueprint on Friday, as Lake County News has reported.
The changes go into effect on Monday, Aug. 31, according to Dr. Gary Pace, Lake County’s Public Health officer.
Pace said the blueprint replaces the state’s County Monitoring List – or “watch list” – and has four color-coded tiers based on county risk level.
The levels are shown in the graphic below.
Daily case rates and test positivity rates determine tier placement. Businesses in counties in less-restrictive tiers can provide services in more ways.
Pace said Lake County will align with state guidance. Counties cannot take restrictions away.
Which tier is Lake County in, and what does this mean for local businesses?
Pace said Lake County will be initially placed in Tier 2 (Red, “Substantial” viral spread).
As of Monday, these are some changes:
• Indoor movie theaters, previously closed, can open at 25 percent of capacity
• Restaurants will be permitted to reopen for indoor dining at 25 percent of capacity.
• Gyms were limited by the ability to socially distance; now there is a hard capacity limit – not to exceed 10 percent.
Local businesses are encouraged to visit https://covid19.ca.gov/safer-economy/ , select Lake County and your business sector, and see what is allowed. Answers to frequently asked questions are also posted.
If Lake County progresses to the purple tier, newly-enabled indoor activities will again be prohibited.
“Our case positivity rate and hospitalizations have recently been increasing,” said Pace.
He reported that on Friday Lake County recorded its first cases in a congregate living facility; outbreaks and deaths in such environments have led multiple neighboring counties to restrict activities.
What about schools?
There are no significant changes for schools, Pace said, noting that in the state’s July 17 guidance, the purple tier can be substituted for “County Monitoring List.
“This is a critical time. Business leaders, if you are considering adding indoor activities on Monday, precautions must be in place. Residents, please do your part to keep local businesses open. If we all wear face coverings, practice social distancing and good hygiene, and avoid social gatherings, we can turn things around,” said Pace.
More about the plan can be found here.
New statewide public health orders released on Friday can be viewed here.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Dogs available for adoption this week include mixes of Chihuahua, Labrador Retriever, shepherd and Shih Tzu.
Dogs that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed, microchipped and, if old enough, given a rabies shot and county license before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.
The following dogs at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (additional dogs on the animal control Web site not listed are still “on hold”).
Call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278 or visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm for information on visiting or adopting.
Female Chihuahua-terrier
This female Chihuahua-terrier has a short tan and white coat.
She is in kennel No. 15a, ID No. 13953.
Male Chihuahua
This male Chihuahua has a short tan coat.
He is in kennel No. 15b, ID No. 13954.
Male shepherd mix
This male shepherd mix a medium-length brindle coat.
He is in kennel No. 17, ID No. 13924.
Male terrier
This male terrier has a coarse tricolor coat.
He has been neutered.
He is in kennel No. 25, ID No. 13925.
‘Hunter’
“Hunter” is a male yellow Labrador Retriever.
He has been neutered.
He’s in kennel No. 30, ID No. 13896.
‘Mary’
“Mary” is a Shih Tzu with a long white coat.
She has been spayed.
She’s in kennel No. 32, ID No. 7845.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
Astronaut Doug “Wheels” Wheelock spent his NASA career expanding knowledge of living and working in space. His new mission is working to determine the best way to train astronauts to return to the surface of the moon.
Wheelock is a veteran test pilot and retired U.S. Army colonel who has accumulated 178 days in space and was a guest speaker at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in California during a recent virtual Safety Day.
During his NASA career he conducted six spacewalks, flew in Space Shuttle Discovery and the Russian Soyuz and served as International Space Station Expedition 25 commander.
He was recently selected by the NASA Flight Operations directorate at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston to lead the human lander system joint testing. He also is co-chairman of the joint test panel for the lunar landing project that is part of NASA’s Artemis mission to return astronauts for sustainable human exploration of the Moon.
A broad agency announcement to define, develop and bid on lunar lander platform was the basis of an award April 30 to three companies to design and build human landing systems. The three companies include Blue Origin of Kent, Washington, Dynetics of Huntsville, Alabama, and Space-X of Hawthorne, California.
NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston asked Wheelock to lead the joint test team, which is essentially looking at training crews to land on the moon.
“We have these companies that are building landers, but we need to be able to train our crews,” Wheelock said. “ I am managing the test development and eventual testing and selection of platforms we will use for fixed base mockups, motion simulation and inflight trainers.”
It wasn’t always space missions and lunar landers for Wheelock. From an early age he said he learned from Neil Armstrong, as he watched as the first man on the moon showcase qualities he believed leaders should have, such as humility and authenticity.
“I had a chance to ask him a question (when I was a kid), and I wanted to know how he felt as an extraordinary superhero,” he said. Armstrong did not view himself in that way, which had an even bigger influence on Wheelock.
“How does an ordinary boy end up standing on the moon?” he thought. “I later learned that ordinary kids from ordinary places do intersect with the extraordinary.
It wasn’t until years later after he had been an astronaut that he recalled what a first grade teacher told him, "You could land on the moon one day, too." As an astronaut, he remembered that and knows, “Children of all ages look to NASA for redefining what’s possible for them.”
On Aug. 24, 1998, he was selected as an astronaut and learned how to tackle complex challenges.
“It’s like when we have pieces to a 1,000 piece puzzle and all pieces in front of us, but the box was taken away,” he said. “We don’t know what it looks like, but we look for the corners. Corners are the existence of our hearts, minds, bodies and souls.”
The approach applies to a number of challenges.
“What we do in the simulators, or flying test plans, we know what the picture is supposed to look like,” Wheelock said. “However, we may be doing something we have never done before, or trying to gain knowledge on a piece of equipment for the first time and that also is a puzzle. If we don’t approach it by looking for the corners and connective parts, then we’re not going to solve it.”
Wheelock said being an astronaut isn’t easy and he had to overcome several fears if he was to conquer the skies and space. He had an intense fear of falling and loud noises. Through strength, courage and a commitment to teamwork, he overcame it all and was rewarded for his hard work.
“When I went to space I wanted to rush to the window,” he recalled. I wanted to look at the thin blue line of the atmosphere and see from space the small town I came from.”
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
Dr. Gary Pace confirmed the death in a Saturday afternoon statement.
“Late yesterday, we received confirmation a fourth Lake County resident had died with a COVID-19-related illness,” Pace said.
“This person was older than 65, was living in a residential facility and had very serious, long-term medical issues. They had a positive COVID-19 test when they passed away yesterday,” he said.
Pace offered no other details about the individual to protect the privacy of the person and their family.
Lake County’s previous COVID-related deaths were reported July 3, Aug. 5 and Aug. 19, as Lake County News has reported.
The news of the county’s fourth death related to COVID-19 comes as Public Health on Saturday reported another increase in cases, with the county’s caseload now at 332, an increase of eight since Friday.
Lake County currently has 28 active cases and three hospitalizations, down from a peak of five patients requiring hospitalization earlier this week. So far, 300 cases are said to be recovered and a total of 25 patients have required hospitalization, and 9,606 tests have been conducted, according to the Public Health COVID-19 dashboard.
Pace said that whenever an individual in a congregate living situation tests positive for COVID-19 – as was the case with the patient who died on Friday – there is “great concern” others may have been exposed.
“Staff at the residential care facility are appropriately responding by testing, isolating and quarantining residents and employees, alike, using established protocols,” he said. “The county of Lake’s Public Health Division and the California Department of Public Health have both provided consultation, and every available measure is being taken to limit the probability of spread.”
Pace, in a previous interview, explained that his agency does not determine the cause of death for patients, but that responsibility lies with the individual’s attending physician.
Factors used to determine cause of death include underlying conditions, symptom progression and recent test results, with autopsies typically not required if the illness follows an expected course, Pace said.
“This is yet another tragic reminder that all Lake County residents must take precautions that can slow the spread of this virus,” Pace said of this latest death. “Potential consequences of a lack of vigilance are profound, and some COVID-positive individuals have few or no symptoms.”
He added, “We must pull together to defeat this virus. Each of us can do our part by taking simple precautions, like wearing a mask when outside of our households. Making safe personal choices limits the chance we will unknowingly transmit the virus to others.”
Email Elizabeth Larson at