Humboldt County Public Health Laboratory staff member Alyssa McCloud catalogs incoming tests In a draft of a rare joint statement, the Rural Association of Northern California Health Officers likens the current state of COVID-19 to a wildfire engulfing the entire region and urges residents to redouble efforts to curb the virus' spread, warning if they wait for further state restrictions it may be too late. While the statement is reportedly still being finalized, Del Norte Health Officer Warren Rehwaldt included its draft in a Dec. 18 letter to county residents. The Northern California region remains the only in California not subject to the stay-at-home order issued by the state for regions where cumulative hospital intensive care capacity falls below 15 percent. As of Dec. 22, the 11 counties in Northern California have a combined 29.5 percent available ICU capacity, according to the state, despite escalating case counts but the health officers warn the region has a limited number of beds and little room for error.