Local stay-at-home order could be triggered soon by ICU capacity
Regional Stay at Home Orders will require Californians to remain in place as much as possible, close operations for certain sectors, and require 100 percent masking and physical distancing
If we stay home as much as possible and wear masks when we have to go to the doctor, shop for groceries, or go for a hike, California can come out of this in a way that saves lives and puts us on a path toward economic recovery. (Governor Gavin Newsom)Local stay-at-home order

State health officials are tracking the state by five regions: Northern California, Bay Area, Greater Sacramento, San Joaquin Valley (includes Tulare County), and Southern California. No regions currently meet this 15 percent threshold but some are projected to within the next week. Californians are required to stay at home as much as possible and minimize mixing to reduce unnecessary exposure, while still being able to do important things like go to the doctor, buy groceries, pick up takeout food, go on a hike, or worship outdoors. Schools that are currently open, such as Three Rivers Union School, may remain open. Retailers can operate indoors at no more than 20 percent capacity to reduce exposure risk. Local stay-at-home order
The five state regions are:
Northern California: Del Norte, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Mendocino, Modoc, Shasta, Siskiyou, Tehama, Trinity
Bay Area: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Monterey, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma
Greater Sacramento: Alpine, Amador, Butte, Colusa, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, Sierra, Sutter, Yolo, Yuba Local stay-at-home order
San Joaquin Valley: Calaveras, Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, San Benito, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Tulare, Tuolumne
Southern California: Imperial, Inyo, Los Angeles, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura
Once triggered, regions will remain in the Regional Stay at Home Order status for at least three weeks. Counties are eligible to come off the Regional Stay at Home Order after three weeks if their hospital ICU capacity projected four weeks out reaches 15 percent. Counties will return to the Blueprint for a Safer Economy colored tier determined by their case rate and test positivity after they are eligible to exit the Regional Stay at Home Order. Local stay-at-home order
“We are at a tipping point in our fight against the virus and we need to take decisive action now to prevent California’s hospital system from being overwhelmed in the coming weeks,” said Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday, Dec. 5. “By invoking a Stay at Home Order for regions where ICU capacity falls below 15 percent, we can flatten the curve as we’ve done before and reduce stress on our health care system. I’m clear-eyed that this is hard on all of us, especially our small businesses that are struggling to get by. That’s why we leaned in to help our small business owners with new grants and tax relief to help us get through this month.”
The Regional Stay at Home Order would be in effect for three weeks after the trigger and instructs Californians to stay at home as much as possible to limit the mixing with other households that can lead to COVID-19 spread. It allows access to (including travel for) critical services and allows outdoor activities to preserve Californians’s physical and mental health. This limited closure will help stop the surge and prevent overwhelming regional ICU capacity.
“Staying home for three weeks is a sacrifice, but if every Californian did that for a month, we could stop this disease in its tracks,” said Dr. Erica Pan, Acting State Public Health Officer. “This public health order strikes the balance between saving lives, providing essential services that we all rely on, and still allowing Californians to participate in lower-risk outdoor activities that are crucial for our physical and mental health.” Local stay-at-home order
In any region that triggers a Regional Stay at Home Order because it drops below 15 percent ICU capacity, 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
Limited Services
Live Audience Sports
Amusement Parks Local stay-at-home order
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. Local stay-at-home order
Hotels and Lodging: Allow to open for critical infrastructure support only.
Restaurants: Allow only for takeout 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. Local stay-at-home order
The following sectors are allowed to remain open when a remote option is not possible with appropriate infectious disease preventative measures including 100 percent masking and physical distancing:
Critical Infrastructure
Non-urgent medical and dental care
Child care and pre-K
Non-Essential Travel Lodging
Except as otherwise required by law, no hotel or lodging entity in California shall accept or honor out of state reservations for non-essential travel, unless the reservation is for at least the minimum time period required for quarantine and the persons identified in the reservation will quarantine in the hotel or lodging entity until after that time period has expired. Campgrounds cannot accommodate overnight stays.
Can people go outside?
Members of the same household are encouraged to maintain physical and mental health by safely going to a park, hike, walk, or bike ride when safe to do so and socially distanced.
Stay Safe • Wear a Mask • Save Lives
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