SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – California health officials on Thursday announced details for a regional stay-at-home order that is triggered by ICU capacities as COVID-19 case rates and hospitalizations continue to rise.
California will be divided into five regions: Northern California, Bay Area, Greater Sacramento, San Joaquin Valley, and Southern California.
The counties that fall under the Bay Area region according to the state are Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Monterey, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, and Sonoma.
The order will be triggered in a region if ICU capacity drops below 15%, and the region will have 48 hours to adopt the new order.
Below is the current available ICU capacity by region, based on actual numbers:
- Bay Area 25.4%
- Greater Sacramento 22%
- Northern California 18.6%
- San Joaquin Valley 19.7%
- Southern California 20.6%
Regions that fall under the stay-at-home order mandate will be on lockdown for at least three weeks.
Newsom said the Bay Area may enact the stay-at-home order by mid-to-late December.
In any region that triggers a regional stay-at-home order, all operations in the following sectors must be CLOSED:
- Indoor and Outdoor Playgrounds
- Indoor Recreational Facilities
- Hair Salons and Barbershops
- Personal Care Services
- Museums, Zoos, and Aquariums
- Movie Theaters
- Wineries
- Bars, Breweries, and Distilleries
- Family Entertainment Centers
- Cardrooms and Satellite Wagering
- Casinos
- Limited Services
- Live Audience Sports
- Amusement Parks
The following sectors will have additional modifications in addition to 100 percent masking and physical distancing:
- Outdoor Recreational Facilities: Allow outdoor operation only without any food, drink or alcohol sales. Additionally, overnight stays at campgrounds will not be permitted.
- Retail: Allow indoor operation at 20 percent capacity with entrance metering and no eating or drinking in the stores. Additionally, special hours should be instituted for seniors and others with chronic conditions or compromised immune systems.
- Shopping Centers: Allow indoor operation at 20 percent capacity with entrance metering and no eating or drinking in the stores. Additionally, special hours should be instituted for seniors and others with chronic conditions or compromised immune systems.
- Hotels and Lodging: Allow to open for critical infrastructure support only.
- Restaurants: Allow only for take-out or pick-up.
- Offices: Allow remote only except for critical infrastructure sectors where remote working is not possible.
- Places of Worship: Allow outdoor services only.
- Entertainment Production including Professional Sports: Allow operation without live audiences. Additionally, testing protocol and “bubbles” are highly encouraged.
The following sectors are allowed to remain open when a remote option is not possible with appropriate infectious disease preventative measures including 100% masking and physical distancing:
- Critical Infrastructure
- Schools that are already open for in-person learning
- Non-urgent medical and dental care
- Child care and pre-K
Here is the criteria that must be met for a region’s stay-at-home order to end:
1. End for a county in a region if the region’s ICU capacity projected out four weeks (from three weeks since the Stay-at-Home Order started) is above or equal to 15 percent. Each county in the region would be assigned to a tier based on the Blueprint for a Safer Economy.
2. Remain in effect in a county if the region’s ICU capacity projected out four weeks (from three weeks since the Stay-at-Home Order started) is less than 15 percent. The order would remain in effect until the region’s ICU capacity meets criteria (1) above. This would be assessed on a weekly basis.
Earlier this week Newsom had warned of a statewide stay-at-home order if current COVID-19 trends continue.
State officials said at that time that they would make the decision in the coming days on whether a stay-at-home order will be reinstated for counties in the purple tier.
There are currently 52 counties – which comprise most of the state – now in the purple tier.
At this time, the state is averaging 14,600+ cases per day over the last week, with a positivity rate of 6.2%.
Meanwhile, some cities are enacting their own stay-at-home orders to curb the spread of the virus.
On Wednesday, the city of Los Angeles ordered all its residents to “remain in their homes” and follow the city’s “safer-at-home” order.