Napa County had an awful coronavirus week.
The county recorded a record number of COVID-19 cases, while falling into the strictest purple tier on the state’s reopening road map which meant it became subject to the state’s new stay-at-home order that takes effect Saturday night.
There were 263 positive cases this week, breaking last week’s record of 251 cases, the county reported Friday. The weekly case count during the month of October had been below 100, then began escalating sharply at the start of November.
These bad number were responsible for the state dropped the county two tiers on Tuesday, from orange to purple, which meant the closure of indoor dining, indoor wine tasting and indoor religious services, among many other restrictions.
If it makes Napans feel any better, an estimated 94% of the state’s population is now also in the purple category as California tries to reverse the rise of COVID-19 as Thanksgiving and the indoor winter months approach.
The state’s limited Stay at Home Order is in effect from Saturday to Dec. 21 between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. only.
In a Nixle message, Napa County said Friday that the intent of the order is to prevent the continued spread of COVID-19 by reducing opportunities for social gatherings and households mixing.
“The State has indicated that this action primarily applies to those public places where people gather and those businesses that have failed to comply with previous health orders,” the county said.
Essential services are exempt from this order, including activities like shopping for food and other essential needs, restaurant take-out and delivery, walking pets and commuting to and from essential service employment, the Nixle message said.
People aren’t prohibited from leaving their residence as long as they do not interact with or gather with people outside of their household during the night hours, the county said.
People who see serious violations should not call 911 unless it’s an emergency, the county said.
Non-emergency compliance issues related to COVID-19 and the state order should be reported to covid19compliance@countyofnapa.org or 707-253-4540.
In its analysis of last week’s cases, the county said that 30% were due to community spread, while 25% were due to gatherings or travel with friends or family, and another 25% were due to household contact. Fourteen percent of cases could not be reached or declined to answer questions, the county said.
Fifty-four percent of cases were male. The highest proportion of cases — 21% — were people under the age of 20, while 19% were in their 40s. The county said 46% of cases identified themselves as Hispanic/Latinx.
Napa County has recorded 2,695 cases since March, including 17 deaths, with 790 cases currently active and 1,888 people have recovered.
The county is encouraging people to be tested for the virus. To sign up for a test, visit: https://www.projectbaseline.com/study/covid-19/
Editor’s note: Because of the health implications of the COVID-19 virus, this article is being made available free to subscribers and non-subscribers alike. If you’d like to join us in supporting the mission of local journalism, please visit napavalleyregister.com/members/join.
WATCH NOW: COVID-19 ISN’T THE ONLY HEALTH RISK THIS THANKSGIVING
SEE PHOTOS OF A NAPA FAMILY’S OWN MINI-MATTERHORN ROLLER COASTER
Building Napa's mini-Matterhorn roller coaster
The LaRochelle family of Napa built their own version of Disneyland's Matterhorn ride in their Carneros backyard. The project took more than five months and cost about $15,000 in materials.
Building Napa's mini-Matterhorn roller coaster
The LaRochelle family of Napa built their own version of Disneyland's Matterhorn ride in their Carneros backyard. The project took more than five months and cost about $15,000 in materials.
Building Napa's mini-Matterhorn roller coaster
The LaRochelle family of Napa built their own version of Disneyland's Matterhorn ride in their Carneros backyard. The project took more than five months and cost about $15,000 in materials.
Building Napa's mini-Matterhorn roller coaster
The LaRochelle family of Napa built their own version of Disneyland's Matterhorn ride in their Carneros backyard.
Building Napa's mini-Matterhorn roller coaster
The LaRochelle family of Napa built their own version of Disneyland's Matterhorn ride in their Carneros backyard. The project took more than five months and cost about $15,000 in materials. Building Napa's mini-Matterhorn roller coaster
Building Napa's mini-Matterhorn roller coaster
The LaRochelle family of Napa built their own version of Disneyland's Matterhorn ride in their Carneros backyard. The project took more than five months and cost about $15,000 in materials.
Building Napa's mini-Matterhorn roller coaster
The LaRochelle family of Napa built their own version of Disneyland's Matterhorn ride in their Carneros backyard. The project took more than five months and cost about $15,000 in materials.
Building Napa's mini-Matterhorn roller coaster
The LaRochelle family of Napa built their own version of Disneyland's Matterhorn ride in their Carneros backyard. The project took more than five months and cost about $15,000 in materials.
Building Napa's mini-Matterhorn roller coaster
The LaRochelle family of Napa built their own version of Disneyland's Matterhorn ride in their Carneros backyard. The project took more than five months and cost about $15,000 in materials.
Building Napa's mini-Matterhorn roller coaster
The LaRochelle family of Napa built their own version of Disneyland's Matterhorn ride in their Carneros backyard. The project took more than five months and cost about $15,000 in materials. Building Napa's mini-Matterhorn roller coaster
Building Napa's mini-Matterhorn roller coaster
The LaRochelle family of Napa built their own version of Disneyland's Matterhorn ride in their Carneros backyard. The project took more than five months and cost about $15,000 in materials.
Building Napa's mini-Matterhorn roller coaster
The LaRochelle family of Napa built their own version of Disneyland's Matterhorn ride in their Carneros backyard. The project took more than five months and cost about $15,000 in materials. This is co-creator Sean LaRochelle and his daughter Florence.
Building Napa's mini-Matterhorn roller coaster
The LaRochelle family of Napa built their own version of Disneyland's Matterhorn ride in their Carneros backyard. The project took more than five months and cost about $15,000 in materials.
Building Napa's mini-Matterhorn roller coaster
The LaRochelle family of Napa built their own version of Disneyland's Matterhorn ride in their Carneros backyard. The project took more than five months and cost about $15,000 in materials.
Building Napa's mini-Matterhorn roller coaster
The LaRochelle family of Napa built their own version of Disneyland's Matterhorn ride in their Carneros backyard. The project took more than five months and cost about $15,000 in materials.
Building Napa's mini-Matterhorn roller coaster
The LaRochelle family of Napa built their own version of Disneyland's Matterhorn ride in their Carneros backyard.
Building Napa's mini-Matterhorn roller coaster
The LaRochelle family of Napa built their own version of Disneyland's Matterhorn ride in their Carneros backyard. The project took more than five months and cost about $15,000 in materials.
Building Napa's mini-Matterhorn roller coaster
The LaRochelle family of Napa built their own version of Disneyland's Matterhorn ride in their Carneros backyard. The project took more than five months and cost about $15,000 in materials.
Building Napa's mini-Matterhorn roller coaster
The LaRochelle family of Napa built their own version of Disneyland's Matterhorn ride in their Carneros backyard. The project took more than five months and cost about $15,000 in materials.
Building Napa's mini-Matterhorn roller coaster
The LaRochelle family of Napa built their own version of Disneyland's Matterhorn ride in their Carneros backyard. The project took more than five months and cost about $15,000 in materials.
Building Napa's mini-Matterhorn roller coaster
The LaRochelle family of Napa built their own version of Disneyland's Matterhorn ride in their Carneros backyard. The project took more than five months and cost about $15,000 in materials. Building Napa's mini-Matterhorn roller coaster
Building Napa's mini-Matterhorn roller coaster
The LaRochelle family of Napa built their own version of Disneyland's Matterhorn ride in their Carneros backyard. The project took more than five months and cost about $15,000 in materials.
Building Napa's mini-Matterhorn roller coaster
The LaRochelle family of Napa built their own version of Disneyland's Matterhorn ride in their Carneros backyard. The project took more than five months and cost about $15,000 in materials.
Building Napa's mini-Matterhorn roller coaster
The LaRochelle family of Napa built their own version of Disneyland's Matterhorn ride in their Carneros backyard. The project took more than five months and cost about $15,000 in materials.
Complete coronavirus coverage from the Napa Valley Register, St. Helena Star, and The Weekly Calistogan: Fall/Winter 2020 edition
This webpage contains all Napa County coronavirus coverage as featured in the Napa Valley Register, St. Helena Star and The Weekly Calistogan. This page will be updated as news comes in. Please bookmark this page to stay on top of local developments.
Submit news tips here: https://napavalleyregister.com/forms/news-tips/news_tips/
Starting Tuesday, restaurants and wine tasting rooms will not be allowed to serve the public indoors. Houses of worship also can only operate outdoors.
Amid the pandemic's upsurge this fall, Napa residents — and visitors to the valley — are paring down their holiday guest lists to keep safe and stop the spread.
The rise in local COVID-19 cases has not yet translated into a dramatic increase in hospitalizations, Queen of the Valley reports.
Napa County plummeted overnight into to the purple "tier" and many local business owners are scrambling.
A resident reports that 11 people living at the home, including three in nursing care, have tested positive for the virus.
Five employees and 18 students attending classes at NVUSD schools have contracted the coronavirus since late October, the district superintendent announced Thursday.
Cases rose by over 50% this week, setting the county up for possibly more restrictions on businesses as soon as next week.
Senator Bill Dodd’s latest town hall featured experts who spoke about how 2021 might shape up for Napa County.
Social gatherings in homes are a major source of new COVID cases in the state.
Major holiday celebrations are being canceled due to the pandemic which continues to reshape community life.
Sixty percent of new cases were people who identified as Hispanic/Latinx, the county reported.
Kevin Courtney
City Editor
Kevin has been city editor since September 2010. He joined the Register in 1973 as a reporter. He covered Napa City Hall and assorted other beats over the years. Kevin has been writing his Napa Journal column on Sundays since 1989.
