REGIONAL MESSAGE ON COVID-19 THREAT ALERT SOUTHBAY CITIES
JOINT INFORMATION CENTER
KEY MESSAGES
LIMITED SAFER AT HOME ORDER ISSUED
Effective today, November 20, 2020, LA County will tighten pandemic safeguards, and restrictions as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to increase significantly. Our case number has climbed to the highest daily count we have ever seen in LA County with over 5,000 reported cases yesterday. These safeguards and restrictions are meant to help limit the spread of COVID-19 within our communities.
The case positivity rate has increased by 50% in the past two weeks, and hospitals are nearing capacity. COVID-19 cases have more than doubled since the beginning of November. We are at a critical moment as hospital capacity decreases, and as our case numbers continue to rise. If we continue on this projection of daily case numbers, we will exhaust all hospital beds in LA County in two weeks.
LA County also released a new tiered system to implement additional restrictions if daily case counts continue to climb. It is as follows:
If the five-day average (rolling average) of cases in LA County becomes 4,000 or more, or hospitalizations are more than 1,750 per day, the following restrictions will be added:
Outdoor and indoor dining at restaurants, breweries, wineries and bars will be prohibited and these businesses will only be able to offer pick-up and delivery. Businesses in this sector are being notified via email by DPH, which will work with them to ensure a smooth transition.
If the five-day average of cases in the County becomes 4,500 or more or hospitalizations are more than 2,000 per day, the following restriction will be added:
A Safer at Home Order will be instituted for a minimum of three weeks. The Order would only allow essential workers and those securing essential services to leave their homes.
The first measures, effective today, are:
For non-essential businesses permitted to operate indoors—including retail stores, offices, personal care services—occupancy will be limited to 25% maximum capacity.
The number of patrons at outdoor restaurants, breweries, and wineries will be limited to 50% max outdoor capacity.
The number of customers at cardrooms, outdoor mini-golf, go-karts, and batting cages will be limited to 50% maximum outdoor capacity.
Services at personal care establishments may only be provided by appointment to customers wearing face coverings by staff wearing face coverings.
Services that require either the customer or the staff to remove their faces covered, such as facials and shaves, are not permitted.
Food and drinks cannot be served at these establishments to the customer.
Restaurants, breweries, wineries, bars, and all other non-essential retail establishments must close from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m (State of CA guidance goes into effect tomorrow Nov. 21, and will be changed from 10pm-6am to 10pm-5am).
Outdoor gatherings remain the only gatherings permitted. They must only include 15 people maximum who are members of no more than three households, including the host household.
The Health Officer Order can be found on the Department of Public Health's website by clicking here. However, an updated Health Officer Order will be provided to align with the State Guidance as it is more restrictive. Please check the LA County DPH website for updates and more information.
HOW TO CELEBRATE THANKSGIVING SAFELY
Holidays are going to be tough and likely will look different than in previous years. There is a significant community spread of COVID-19, so it is best to stay home and celebrate with people who live in your household. And please always think about your risk of being exposed in any situation. While you may think your bubble is small, it may be much larger than you would expect. The graphic to the right illustrates this well.
Please remember that gathering with anyone outside your household is not without risk. Still, the most prudent thing we can all do is to not gather with older high-risk relatives. And for those who do, remember outdoors is safer than the indoors, and wearing a face covering is strongly recommended to reduce exposure risk. The spacing of older and more vulnerable individuals is important.
From the entire Joint Information Center Team representing the 15 South Bay Cities, we are thankful for all your efforts and sacrifices during this unprecedented time. Have a great Thanksgiving.
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