During an emergency meeting Friday, the Crescent City City Council supported the county health officer’s ban on tourists staying in local lodging facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.The city council’s resolution of support came just after Del Norte County Public Health Officer Dr. Warren Rehwaldt issued his order Friday evening, March 27, that includes lodging facilities and campgrounds located both inside and outside Crescent City limits. The council’s resolution also gives City Manager Eric Wier “the authority to do all things necessary to educate transient lodging operators, city residents and visitors about the restrictions in place due to the pandemic.”However, support for the resolution was not unanimous.#placement_573654_0_i{width:100%;max-width:550px;margin:0 auto;}var rnd = window.rnd || Math.floor(Math.random()*10e6);var pid573654 = window.pid573654 || rnd;var plc573654 = window.plc573654 || 0;var abkw = window.abkw || '';var absrc = 'https://ads.empowerlocal.co/adserve/;ID=181918;size=0x0;setID=573654;type=js;sw='+screen.width+';sh='+screen.height+';spr='+window.devicePixelRatio+';kw='+abkw+';pid='+pid573654+';place='+(plc573654++)+';rnd='+rnd+';click=CLICK_MACRO_PLACEHOLDER';var _absrc = absrc.split("type=js"); absrc = _absrc[0] + 'type=js;referrer=' + encodeURIComponent(document.location.href) + _absrc[1];document.write('');Councilor Jason Greenough opposed it, looking for a more “measured approach.”“Local businesses are already suffering from the effects of Governor Gavin Newsom’s March 19 stay-at-home order,” Greenough said. “I am not debating whether this is a serious issue. But at the same time, we still live in a free country here. The fact that these orders are in place isn’t going to change that. You can’t use police to arrest people because they’re out and about. Even the governor’s order didn’t have the teeth and I don’t think, by law, they can have those teeth unless you do go to martial law.”City Attorney Martha Rice explained that violation of the governor’s stay-at-home order and Rehwaldt’s order is a misdemeanor and that Rehwaldt’s order stands regardless of the city’s resolution.Wier added that businesses violating Rehwaldt’s order could have their business license or city-county permit suspended for up to one year.Greenough argued that telling a business how to operate is a serious issue. District 1 Supervisor Roger Gitlin, who spoke during the public comment period, echoed Greenough’s concern. Gitlin said he has received a steady stream of phone calls from the community about the virus.“Despite the medical emergency, tourism is how Del Norte County maintains its sustenance and existence,” Gitlin said.He asked the council to consider the community’s economic future before making their decision, adding that limiting tourism would cause more harm than the virus.“If we move forward in an aggressive way in discouraging people, are we not contributing to our own economic suicide?” Gitlin asked. “The Trees of Mystery have laid off 45 employees and stores are being closed left and right. I am very concerned about this disease, but at the same time I don’t want to wake up and in 30 days from now we don’t have a tax base in our town.”Mayor Pro Tem Heidi Kime said she welcomes people who are traveling to the community to work at the hospital or in another essential capacity but health officials couldn’t curb the virus unless people shelter-in-place.“I think that moving forward, we are collecting data on the impact that this is having to our businesses. But if we don’t protect ourselves and stay home, we really aren’t going to have any businesses to come back to,” Kime said.Businesses were encouraged to take an economic injury survey by Prepare Del Norte online at www.preparedelnorte.com. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('ad-1515727'); });