Effective Sunday, December 6 at 11:59 p.m., Mono County (as part of the Southern California Region) will be formally placed under the California Department of Public Health (CDPH)  Regional Stay-At-Home Order [https://covid19.ca.gov/stay-home-except-for-essential-needs/#regional]  (Order).

The Order, which will be in effect for a minimum of three weeks, prohibits private gatherings of any size, and closes sector operations except for critical infrastructure and retail in an effort to limit the transmission and spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus).

Governor Gavin Newsom is taking immediate actions to prevent an unprecedented surge in the level of community spread of COVID-19 that continues to increase dramatically every day, throughout Mono County and the State of California. New hospital admissions continue to escalate, with current projections estimating that without additional intervention to slow the spread of COVID-19 the number of available adult ICU beds within the State of California will be at capacity by mid-December.

Locally, we have seen an increase of 50% in positive COVID-19 cases week-over-week within the previous two-week period, and our current positivity rate is 29%. In addition to the Order, the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) managing COVID-19 response in Mono County is evaluating additional local guidance to more acutely address the unique circumstances and issues within our county, including tourism and lodging. Details on additional guidance will be shared as soon as possible.

The  Regional Stay-At-Home Order [https://covid19.ca.gov/stay-home-except-for-essential-needs/#regional]  applies to Regions where the adult ICU bed capacity falls below 15%. Mono County is assigned to the Southern California Region. As of December 5, ICU capacity for the Southern California Region fell to 13.1%, triggering the Order.

The Regional Stay-At-Home Order will remain in effect for at least 3 weeks. After that period, the Order will be lifted when regional available adult ICU bed capacity is greater than or equal to 15%, and is projected to remain above that level for the subsequent four weeks. At the end of the Stay-At-Home period, each county within the Region will be assigned to a tier based on the Blueprint for a Safer Economy. 

“It is not the status of Mammoth Hospital alone that determines when the Order goes into effect, rather, it is the status of all the hospitals within the region,” stated Tom Parker, Mammoth Hospital Chief Operating Officer. “At this point, the entire state is approaching a critical capacity shortage and there is no recourse to petition regional assignments.”

The new Regional Stay-At-Home order supersedes the current County restrictions of the purple tier (widespread transmission) of the Blueprint for a Safer Economy. 

Effective December 6 (Sunday) at 11:59PM the following sectors must close:

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
Limited services
Live audience sports
Amusement parks
 
The following sectors now have additional modifications, in addition to 100% 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% 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% 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 or for reservations from out-of-state residents that are for a period of time for at least the duration of the quarantine period where the guest will quarantine in the facility for the entire period only.
Restaurants: Allow only for take-out, pick-up, or delivery.
Offices: Allow remote only except for critical infrastructure sectors where remote working is not possible.
Places of worship and political expression: 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, non-urgent medical and dental care, and child-care and pre-K.

The Regional Stay-At-Home Order temporarily restricts all non-essential travel statewide, but allows access to (and travel for) critical services and allows outdoor activities to preserve Californian’s physical and mental health. Californians are encouraged to keep connected with loved ones virtually, and to get outdoors and recreate!
 
Details on the CDPH’s Regional Stay-At-Home Order can be accessed  here [https://covid19.ca.gov/stay-home-except-for-essential-needs/#regional] : https://covid19.ca.gov/stay-home-except-for-essential-needs/. 

All Mono County residents and visitors are asked to do their part to #StaySafeToStayOpen. This is more than a hashtag – it needs to become a way of life. 

Additional information regarding the Blueprint for a Safer Economy is available online: https://covid19.ca.gov/roadmap-counties/ or by visiting the Mono County COVID-19 Portal in English: MonoHealth.com/Coronavirus or Spanish: https://monohealth.com/coronavirus-es.

Cover. Distance. Wash and #StaySafeToStayOpen!