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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Napa County Public Health on Sunday confirmed a second local case of COVID-19 in Napa County, hours after confirming that county’s first case.

The patient in the second confirmed case is currently isolated in St. Helena, officials said.

Napa County Public Health said there is no known connection to the case confirmed earlier on Sunday. That individual is in the city of Napa.

“With the increase in testing, finding additional cases is not unexpected,” said Dr. Karen Relucio, Napa County’s Public Health officer. “It is critical that people who develop respiratory symptoms stay at home and isolate themselves from others, even if they still feel well enough to go out. As a community, we need to act now to slow the spread of the virus.”

Typically, human coronaviruses cause mild-to-moderate respiratory illness. Symptoms are very similar to the flu, including runny nose, headache, cough, sore throat, fever, and/or shortness of breath. Older adults and people with underlying health conditions may be at increased risk for severe disease.

Patients that develop a fever and lower respiratory symptoms, such as a cough or shortness of breath, should first call their health care provider and share symptoms before visiting the clinic or emergency room.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Local school districts are continuing to educate students while facing the uncertainty of whether the traditional schooling model of meeting in person on campuses will be able to take place anytime soon.

On March 15, following a meeting of all of the county school district superintendents, it was decided that all public schools would close from March 16 to April 10, as Lake County News has reported.

Three days later, Lake County Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace – with whom the superintendents had consulted on their decision – issued a countywide shelter in place order that went into effect early Thursday morning.

Over the past week, in addition to the local shelter in place order and a statewide stay at home order issued by Gov. Gavin Newsom, local educators have been considering another development – Gov. Newsom’s Tuesday statement that schools are likely to remain closed through the end of the current school year.

Lake County Superintendent of Schools Brock Falkenberg said everyone's initial focus was on the time frame up to spring break.

“Our teachers and schools have done a stellar job preparing instructional activities to fill the three-week student dismissal. The teachers I have spoken with are online by 8 a.m. each day, answering emails and phone calls, or video conferencing with students to explain lessons and complex concepts. The hope was to monitor the situation and then return to school for the final quarter,” he said.

“However, the governor’s statement took educators up and down the state by surprise,” said Falkenberg.

He said he hosted a meeting of Lake County superintendents on Wednesday, the morning after the governor's announcement, to begin planning for long term student dismissal.

“Over the next three weeks teachers, schools and the County Office of Education will be working on enhancing online and other forms of non-classroom based instruction,” Falkenberg said.

In addition to keeping the mechanics of education going at a distance, districts also are offering other support.

“All districts in Lake County are continuing to support families by providing meals to everyone under 18 years of age,” said Falkenberg. “Our food service staff have been phenomenal in their flexibility. They are providing individually boxed meals to limit any potential exposure issues.”

He said each district has established different processes to address distribution. Food service directors and superintendents have begun to compare notes to identify best practices and adjust accordingly.

For the two community college districts serving Lake County, Mendocino College and Woodland Community College – which is part of the Yuba Community College District – officials also are preparing for a lengthy closure and have moved instruction online.

Mendocino College notified students via email on Wednesday that all courses and services were to be transitioned to an online or remote platform by Friday.

“We are now expecting for the current situation to last through the end of the Spring semester,” the email explained.

Students were directed to download the Canvas and Zoom apps and to observe local shelter in place orders.

Likewise, in a Friday online message to students, Yuba Community College District Chancellor Douglas Houston said he had decided that remote instruction will continue at all campuses of Woodland Community College and Yuba College through the end of the Spring 2020 semester.

“As you continue through the remainder of your spring classes I encourage you to ‘stick with it’
and not let this disruption cause you to sacrifice your educational goals. If you stay the course, you will succeed,” Houston wrote.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – On Saturday, Lake County Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace reiterated the need to close down nonessential businesses and to cancel in-person activities and gatherings across the county as part of a shelter in place order meant to protect the community against the threat of COVID-19.

Earlier this week, Pace issued the mandatory countywide shelter in place order. It went into effect at 12:01 a.m. Thursday.

However, local officials have been concerned that many Lake County residents and businesses are not following the order, the violation of which constitutes a misdemeanor.

Pace’s Saturday message included a list of businesses and activities that need to close immediately and the warning that enforcement of the order will be stepping up in the days ahead.

Pace’s full message is below.


Public Health orders in-person activities and gatherings to be canceled

The risk from coronavirus continues to escalate in our region and across the country. We have taken strong measures to try to slow the spread – issuing emergency orders, closing schools, and on March 19, Lake County began following “shelter in place” orders. These actions are very disruptive to people’s lives and financial security, yet they are necessary to prevent the spread of this potentially devastating illness.

Sadly, yesterday, Sonoma County had their first death from Coronavirus. They now have 11 known cases and presumed community transmission. Marin County has 38 known cases, and many of those were found in people with less severe symptoms. Many hospitals in the Bay Area are preparing for severely increased demand on their facilities. Lake County continues to have no known cases.

I issued Public Health orders for the County beginning on March 19, 2020, similar to orders issued by many neighboring counties that mandated people stay home and stop all non-essential visitation and gatherings, except to conduct “essential business.” What constitutes “Essential” businesses are well-outlined in the order, and FAQs that can be found on our webpage. Governor Newsom issued similar orders for the whole state the following day. Reportedly, 25 percent of the US population has been placed under some form of these isolation orders.

Most people have honored this order, because they realize the safety of our community is at stake. We have approximately 50 hospital beds in Lake County, with 11 ventilators (potentially able to scale to 16 if needed), for a population of 65,000. We easily see the vulnerability of the system, so a strategy of interfering with the entrance of the virus into the county and slowing the spread is essential. Countywide, health facilities are actively engaged in planning for the next phase of the outbreak, but resources are limited.

We need your cooperation to stop any unnecessary activity. Please do not ignore the Order to stay at home with your family. Mixing with other people, ignoring social distancing, having out of town guests, and traveling around because you are restless are ways this virus will get a foothold in the community.

In reality, most stores should be closed, except for grocery stores – and social distancing and strong disinfecting is mandatory.

To close immediately:

● Churches need to cancel their in-person services and go to Facebook streaming or some other online strategy.

● Restaurants with indoor or outdoor dining. (Take out, delivery, curbside and drive-through are allowed.)

● Bars and nightclubs with or without food.

● Small convenience or other stores selling mainly chips and candy are not essential and should be closed.

● Entertainment venues including golf courses, gun ranges, bowling alleys, movie theaters, swimming pools, skating rinks, skate parks, batting cages indoor and outdoor, all youth or adult sports events.

● Thrift stores, second-hand stores, consignment and antique stores.

● Gyms and fitness studios, including yoga, Thai Chi, boxing, karate, gymnastics, etc.

● Public events and gatherings, including recreational outdoor events like disk golf, golf, boating, fishing (fishing for food is OK), skate parks, basketball courts, tennis courts, etc.

● Convention centers and centers that provide any live entertainment.

● Hair and nail salons, including spas, massage parlors and tattoo parlors.

Be responsible to the people of Lake County and SHUT DOWN. We understand these actions are extremely inconvenient and bring on severe hardship; these have not been easy decisions to make, and are not taken lightly. Watching the progress of this outbreak has been alarming, and I want to let people of the county know just what is at stake here.

Local law enforcement, Health Department inspectors, and your neighbors will be monitoring the situation. Enforcement activities will be increased in the coming week.

If you have questions, look on the website http://health.co.lake.ca.us .

If you still have questions, send an email request: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

You can also call during business hours: 707-263-8174

Thank you for your cooperation.

Lake County Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace, MD, MPH
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In a letter to President Donald Trump, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday requested a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration to assist in California’s COVID-19 preparedness and emergency response efforts.

Federal officials said Sunday afternoon during a Coronavirus Task Force briefing that President Donald Trump will consider Newsom’s request immediately.

Earlier on Sunday, President Trump approved Presidential Major Disaster Declarations for both New York and Washingtons, which along with California are among the nation’s hardest-hit states.

Newsom’s office said the Major Disaster Declaration would include any and all individual assistance programs to assist those affected by the outbreak and lessen the economic impacts of the crisis.

The request would provide additional assistance, including but not limited to, mass care and emergency assistance, crisis counseling, disaster case management, disaster unemployment assistance, disaster legal services and Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance.

As of Sunday afternoon, more than 1,550 Californians are reported to have COVID-19, with 29 reported deaths. No positive cases have so far been confirmed in Lake County.

During the Sunday afternoon Coronavirus Task Force briefing from the White House, President Trump announced several actions being directed in response to previous requests from California and other states fighting the rapid spread of COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus.

“This is a challenging time for all Americans. We are enduring a great national trial and we will prove that we can meet the moment,” said Trump, adding that the nation ultimately will defeat “this horrible, invisible enemy.”

The measures the president announced include deploying the USNS Mercy hospital ship to the Port of Los Angeles, which Newsom had requested on Thursday, hours ahead of issuing a statewide stay at home order.

The USNS Mercy – now in San Diego – is expected to be in place within a week, the president said.

For the East Coast, Trump is deploying the USNS Comfort hospital ship to New York. He said that ship – which is in the midst of maintenance in Norfolk, Virginia – could be positioned in three weeks.

Trump also announced that federal medical stations with additional beds – including more than 2,000 for California – have been authorized for the three most impacted states.

The US Army Corps of Engineers is being sent out to build alternate care sites, more supplies are coming through the strategic national stockpile order, 19 emergency operation centers will be established throughout the country and the National Guard has been activated for California, New York and Washington, he said.

Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Peter Gaylor emphasized that the activation of the National Guard “is not martial law.”

Vice President Mike Pence, who heads the Coronavirus Task Force, said Sunday that so far 254,000 people have been tested for COVID-19 across the United States.

The latest COVID-19 statistics, reported separately, indicate more than 32,000 Americans have tested positive for the illness.

Pence said testing will continue to be rolled out nationwide, with the backlog of testing anticipated to be caught up by the middle of the week.

He said all commercial labs in the United States will receive guidance by Monday, and they will be urged to prioritize testing of patients who are in the hospital.

Pence said that on Saturday, the Food and Drug Administration approved an emergency authorization for a new COVID-19 test that could be in production by the end of March.

That test, said Pence, would yield results within 45 minutes. Currently, testing takes days.

Learn more about California’s ongoing COVID-19 emergency response here.

The governor’s request for a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration for the state’s COVID-19 preparedness and emergency response efforts can be seen below.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.



3.22.20 Major Disaster Decl COVID19 by LakeCoNews on Scribd

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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A new gubernatorial executive order is offering new vote-by-mail procedures and giving elections offices across the state additional time to finish the final tally for the March 3 presidential primary, but the interim Lake County registrar expects to be done by the statutory deadline.

On Friday, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued Executive Order N-34-20, which extends the deadlines for ballot counting, tabulation and other responsibilities related to the official canvass of California’s Presidential Primary Election that could risk undermining social distancing measures for COVID-19.

The statutory deadline is April 3; under the executive order, elections offices have until April 24 to complete the official canvass.

The order also permits vote-by-mail procedures to be used in three upcoming special elections, measures meant to protect public health and safety during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Those special elections are for a recall in the city of Westminster in Orange County on April 7, and for a state Senate seat in Riverside County and a US House of Representatives seat for the 25th Congressional District, which covers portions of the counties of Ventura and Los Angeles, both of which will be held on May 12.

The governor’s order also suspends the timeframes for public hearings required by political subdivisions that are in the process of changing from an at-large method of election to district elections.

In Lake County, interim Registrar of Voters Diane Fridley – who headed the elections office before her December 2018 retirement – told Lake County News on Saturday that she is moving forward with finishing the official canvass within the normal statutory timeframe.

She said that, unless there are unforeseen circumstances that delay her certification, she expects to be done by March 31.

That’s also her last day as interim registrar of voters. Her former deputy registrar, Maria Valadez, is set to leave her job in Mendocino County to step into the Lake County registrar’s job on April 1.

In the meantime, Fridley is reminding vote-by-mail voters who received a “signature verification statement” or an “unsigned ballot envelope statement” that the deadline for the Lake County Registrar of Voters office to receive the completed forms either by mail service, fax, email or in person – by appointment only – is Friday, March 27.

Fridley said the Registrar of Voters Office cannot count a voter’s vote-by-mail ballot if the completed and signed statement is not returned by that date.

For more information, call the Lake County Registrar of Voters Office at 707-263-2372 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.



032020 California Governor's Executive Order N-34-20-COVID-19-Elections by LakeCoNews on Scribd

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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – In a special Friday video event, local officials gathered to help answer Lake County children's and youth's questions about COVID-19.

The “kids-only press conference” event, hosted by First 5 Lake, discussed COVID-19, sheltering in place, and school closures.

Lilly Wiser, an eighth-grader at Konocti Christian Academy, asked the questions sent in earlier this week from Lake County youth via social media and email.

County officials and community leaders who were on hand to answer the questions as part of a panel included community health nurse Lynn Brookes, Lake County Superintendent of Schools Brock Falkenberg, Sheriff Brian Martin, District 4 Supervisor Tina Scott and preschool teacher and owner Terrie Sullivan.

The half-hour press conference can be viewed in the video above.
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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – On Sunday, Clearlake City Manager Alan Flora, acting as the director of Emergency Services for the city of Clearlake, announced the immediate closure of Redbud Park and Thompson Harbor in the interest of public health and safety.

The closure of Redbud Park includes the boat launch ramps, parking lot and other recreation facilities.

No person shall enter the park during the closure or remain in the park after having been notified of the closure and having been asked to leave by any peace officer or other person so designated by the city manager or chief of police.

The order does not apply to peace officers, fire and rescue personnel or other
governmental officials, or electrical, sewage or utility workers, or contractors acting within the scope of their official duties.

“Under normal circumstances, it is wonderful to see so many enjoying our local recreational facilities, but in this state of emergency we must take additional action to protect the public,” said Flora.

“Hundreds of people have been utilizing the park and launching facilities and there have been many examples of patrons not practicing proper social distancing,” Flora said.

“According to Dr. Gary Pace, the Lake County Public Health officer, all navigable water bodies in Lake County, including Clear Lake, will be closed in the near future. The city understands this is disappointing, especially due to the wonderful weekend weather, but extraordinary measures are necessary immediately to stop the spread of COVID-19,” Flora said.
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Gov. Gavin Newsom on Saturday directed more than $42 million in emergency funding to expand California’s health care infrastructure and secure equipment and services to support California’s response to COVID-19.

Of this amount, $30 million will allow the state to lease Seton Medical Center in Daly City and St. Vincent Medical Center in Los Angeles for a three-month basis.

Seton Medical Center is currently operating and will expand capacity to provide care for up to 120 COVID-19 patients beginning as soon as next Wednesday. Verity will operate Seton Medical Center on the state’s behalf.

St. Vincent Medical Center closed in January, but California is readying the facility to begin providing care for up to 366 COVID-19 patients as soon as possible.

This builds on California’s previous work, in partnership with local officials, to reopen Community Hospital in Long Beach for the specific purpose of accepting patients transferred from other hospitals in the area. The hospital will begin accepting transfer patients on Saturday and has a capacity of 158 beds.

“California is mobilizing every part of government to support our health care delivery system, its workers, and those among us who are most vulnerable to COVID-19,” said Gov. Newsom.

California is making historic investments to strengthen the health care delivery system, including:

– $30 million to lease and operate two facilities and to expand the state’s hospital capacity: Seton Medical Center in Daly City and St. Vincent Medical Center in Los Angeles.
– $1,420,000 to expand capacity of the state’s public health lab in Richmond.
– $8,647,000 to purchase new ventilators, as well as IV fusion pumps, and refurbish additional ventilators.
– $2 million to contract with American Medical Response to provide patient transportation.

This past week, California began receiving shipments from a prior request from the Strategic National Stockpile. The request included:

Personal protective equipment:

– 358,381 N95 masks;
– 853,730 surgical masks;
– 162,565 face shields;
– 132,544 surgical gowns;
– 678 coveralls;
– 471,941 gloves.

In addition, California this week requested the following additional supplies from the Strategic National Stockpile:

Personal protective equipment:

– 20 million N95 masks;
– 10 million surgical masks;
– 600,000 surgical gowns;
– 600,000 face shields;
– 600,000 gloves;
– 300,000 goggles;
– 100,000 coveralls.

Medical supplies:

– 10,000 ventilators.

Lab and diagnostic supplies:

– 2 million swabs;
– 200,000 RNA extraction kits.

California expands tele-health options

This week, California acted to remove barriers to telehealth services for 22 million Californians. Increasing access to medical and behavioral care through telehealth allows individuals to receive the care and treatment they need remotely, while isolating at home and practicing social distancing, thus limiting potential exposure to COVID-19 and unnecessary impacts to the health care delivery system during this time when we want to preserve the system for our sickest and most critically ill neighbors.

Commercial and Medi-Cal managed care plans were directed to allow members to obtain health care via telehealth when medically appropriate to do so.

Providers will be reimbursed at the same rate, whether a service is provided in-person or through telehealth.

For example, if a provider is paid $100 for an in person visit, they will be paid $100 for an equivalent visit done via telehealth.

Removing barriers to telehealth will improve access and help ensure that hospitals and health systems can focus on providing care to those who need it most.
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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – At its meeting on Thursday, the City Council unanimously voted to enact an urgency ordinance imposing a moratorium on residential evictions until at least May 19.

The city reported that it has been heavily impacted by the health crisis created by COVID-19 and many workers are expected to stay home for extended periods.

While this ordinance does not waive a tenant’s obligations to pay back rent owed once the COVID-19 emergency is over, providing tenants with short-term protection from eviction due to the inability to pay rent will help avoid increasing the homeless population and stabilize the rental housing market by reducing displacement, city officials said.

City officials said the ordinance is not intended to allow tenants to skip rent payments arbitrarily. The moratorium is intended to assist tenants only if they are affected by the COVID-19 emergency and can provide proof in writing to their landlord prior to rent being due.

Key points of the ordinance include:

• Residential tenants shall not be evicted for nonpayment of rent if the tenant demonstrates that the inability to pay rent is due to COVID-19, the state of emergency regarding COVID-19, or following government-recommended COVID19 precautions.

• Covered reasons for delayed payments include: the tenant was sick with COVID-19 or caring for a household or family member who is sick with COVID-19; the tenant experienced a lay-off, loss of hours, substantial decrease in business income caused by a reduction in the opening hours or consumer demand, or other income reduction resulting from COVID-19 or the state of Emergency; the tenant’s compliance with a recommendation from a government agency to stay home, self-quarantine, or avoid congregating with others during the state of emergency; the tenant’s need to miss work to care for a home-bound school-age child; and the tenant’s extraordinary medical cost resulting from COVID-19 related medical expenses.

• The tenant must notify the landlord in writing on or before the day rent is due that the tenant has a covered reason for delayed payment. Verifiable documentation includes, but is not limited to, a letter from the tenant’s employer stating that the tenant’s income is reduced or eliminated due to the effects of COVID-19, or a letter from the tenant’s health care provider indicating the tenant or a member of the tenant’s household is infected with COVID-19.

• The tenant shall provide updated documentation as stated above every 30 days to the landlord.

• If a tenant complies with the ordinance, landlords shall not serve a notice pursuant to California Code of Civil Procedure sections 1161 or 1162, file or prosecute an unlawful detainer action based on a three-day pay or quit notice, or otherwise endeavor to evict the tenant for nonpayment of rent, and the ordinance place into effect March 19 by the Clearlake City Council shall be an affirmative defense to any such eviction action.

• Tenants who were afforded eviction protection under this ordinance shall have up to 180 days after March 19, 2020, to pay their landlord all unpaid rent. Tenants are encouraged to pay as much as they can toward any rent payment during the state of emergency to prevent further financial hardship later when repayments become due.

For additional questions on this ordinance, please contact City Hall at 707-994-8201.

City Hall offices are still currently closed to walk-in visits by the public, but city staff are maintaining office hours and answering phones, emails and can set up video conferencing for citizen needs.
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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – On Sunday, another of Lake’s neighboring counties, Napa, announced it has confirmed its first local case of COVID-19.

Napa County health officials said the patient – whose age and gender were not reported – is located in the city of Napa.

Napa County Public Health, which is investigating the case, has issued a legal order for the patient to isolate and for close contacts of the patient to quarantine.

At the same time, county officials said the general public should continue to comply with both the Napa County and state shelter in place orders, and practice social distancing of at least 6 feet when out seeking essential services or getting fresh air or exercise.

“This is Napa County’s first case and evidence that COVID-19 is in our community,” said Dr. Karen Relucio, Napa County’s Public Health officer. “I understand this may be concerning to the community, but this is why I, and the state of California, have issued shelter-at-home orders to slow the spread of illness and not overwhelm the local health care system. It is imperative that the local community comply with these orders.”

Napa County officials said a priority now that the disease is within its borders will be to conduct surveillance to determine the extent of local transmission and quickly evaluate what is happening in the community.

Statewide, on Sunday more than 1,550 Californians are reported to have COVID-19, with 29 reported deaths.

Based on figures provided by the California Department of Public Health, the majority of the cases are in people ages 18 to 64, followed by those over age 65.

CDPH reported that as of Saturday afternoon, 26,200 tests have been conducted in California, a total which includes the latest numbers the state has received from commercial and private labs. At least 13,467 results have been received and more than 12,700 are pending. Twenty-two state and county health labs are currently testing.

Lake County Public Health has so far not confirmed any local COVID-19 cases.

The latest figures given by the agency on its Facebook page – which haven’t changed in several days – estimate that as many as 40 tests have been conducted.

Lake County Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace said finding labs to do testing has continued to be a challenge due to capacity. Recently, the commercial lab Adventist Health Clear Lake Hospital uses rejected specimens for testing because of too much testing demand, he said.

Pace said getting testing results also is prolonged, with the results taking as long as seven days.

Altogether, Lake’s neighboring counties report the following confirmed COVID-19 case numbers as of 1:30 p.m. Sunday: Colusa, 0; Glenn, 0; Mendocino, 1; Napa, 1; Sonoma, 24 cases, 1 death; Yolo, 6.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
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NASA's Curiosity Mars rover recently set a record for the steepest terrain it's ever climbed, cresting the "Greenheugh Pediment," a broad sheet of rock that sits atop a hill. And before doing that, the rover took a selfie, capturing the scene just below Greenheugh.

In front of the rover is a hole it drilled while sampling a bedrock target called "Hutton." The entire selfie is a 360-degree panorama stitched together from 86 images relayed to Earth. The selfie captures the rover about 11 feet (3.4 meters) below the point where it climbed onto the crumbling pediment.

Curiosity finally reached the top of the slope March 6 (the 2,696th Martian day, or sol, of the mission). It took three drives to scale the hill, the second of which tilted the rover 31 degrees – the most the rover has ever tilted on Mars and just shy of the now-inactive Opportunity rover's 32-degree tilt record, set in 2016. Curiosity took the selfie on Feb. 26, 2020 (Sol 2687).

Since 2014, Curiosity has been rolling up Mount Sharp, a 3-mile-tall (5-kilometer-tall) mountain at the center of Gale Crater. Rover operators at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California carefully map out each drive to make sure Curiosity will be safe.

The rover is never in danger of tilting so much that it would flip over – Curiosity's rocker-bogie wheel system enables it to tilt up to 45 degrees safely – but the steep drives do cause the wheels to spin in place.

How are selfies taken?

Before the climb, Curiosity used the black-and-white Navigation Cameras located on its mast to, for the first time, record a short movie of its "selfie stick," otherwise known as its robotic arm.

Curiosity's mission is to study whether the Martian environment could have supported microbial life billions of years ago. One tool for doing that is the Mars Hand Lens Camera, or MAHLI, located in the turret at the end of the robotic arm. This camera provides a close-up view of sand grains and rock textures, similarly to how a geologist uses a handheld magnifying glass for a closer look in the field on Earth.

By rotating the turret to face the rover, the team can use MAHLI to show Curiosity. Because each MAHLI image covers only a small area, it requires many images and arm positions to fully capture the rover and its surroundings.

"We get asked so often how Curiosity takes a selfie," said Doug Ellison, a Curiosity camera operator at JPL. "We thought the best way to explain it would be to let the rover show everyone from its own point of view just how it's done."

Located in Pasadena, California, Caltech manages JPL for NASA, and JPL, which built Curiosity, manages the project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. MAHLI was built by Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego.

For more about Curiosity, visit https://mars.nasa.gov/msl/home/ and http://nasa.gov/msl .

This selfie was taken by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover on Feb. 26, 2020 (the 2,687th Martian day, or sol, of the mission). The crumbling rock layer at the top of the image is "the Greenheugh Pediment," which Curiosity climbed soon after taking the image. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS.
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MENDOCINO NATIONAL FOREST, Calif. – The USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region, which includes the Mendocino National Forest, announced that all new ignitions for prescribed fire have been postponed until further notice.

Potential smoke impacts to the public are considered in all prescribed fire and wildfire management.

As always, the Mendocino National Forest will work in coordination with local and state health organizations and make any necessary changes as the need arises.

This decision to temporarily postpone ignitions will prevent any effects from smoke that might further worsen conditions for those who are at risk in our communities, while reducing exposure for employees who might not otherwise need to travel, and creating social distancing for resources working on the fire.

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