What can – and can’t – you do in Fresno, Valley under COVID-19 stay-at-home orders?
What, exactly, can one do under the new regional stay-at-home order in effect for Fresno and the entire San Joaquin Valley from San Joaquin County in the north to Kern County in the south?
And perhaps more important, what can’t one do? What’s still open, and what’s supposed to be closed?
Much like sweeping statewide shelter-in-place measures ordered by Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state Department of Public Health in March – and subsequently loosened and tightened in the months since – the regional order is aimed at stemming the spread of the novel coronavirus and the resulting increase in the number of cases and a dramatic increase in COVID-19 patients in hospitals.
The order went into effect at 11:59 p.m. Sunday, a day after the overall availability of intensive-care unit beds at hospitals across the 12-county region collectively fell below 15% of capacity.
“We have reached a point where COVID-19 is so widespread in California that just leaving the house is a risky behavior, which is why we adopted the Regional Stay at Home Order,” said a statement issued Thursday to The Bee by the state Department of Public Health.
Here’s a rundown of what the measure includes.
Who’s covered by the regional order?
The order that took effect Sunday night in the Valley applies to everyone living in Calaveras, Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, San Benito, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Tulare and Tuolumne counties. Those 12 counties make up the San Joaquin Valley health care region, one of five such regions in the state. As of Thursday, only 1.9% of ICU beds in the region were available to receive new patients, whether they have COVID-19 or other serious conditions warranting intensive care.
Also coming under the order on Sunday night was the Southern California region: Imperial, Inyo, Los Angeles, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.
Starting Thursday night, the order applies to the Greater Sacramento region: Alpine, Amador, Butte, Colusa, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, Sierra, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba counties.
How long will this last?
The San Joaquin Valley order took effect Sunday night, Dec. 6, and will remain in effect for at least three weeks, or through Sunday night, Dec. 27. If ICUs still have fewer than 15% of their beds available, the order would continue. When the region’s total ICU availability rebounds to above 15% – and is forecast to remain above that threshold for at least four weeks – then the order would be lifted for the region. At that point, each of the 12 counties would return into the color-coded tiers in the state’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy, depending on the rate of new COVID-19 infections popping up each day and the percentage of people whose coronavirus tests return positive results.
Before the stay-at-home order, Fresno County and the other central San Joaquin Valley counties (Kings, Madera, Merced and Tulare) were in purple Tier 1, the most restrictive of the blueprint levels.
Can I go outside? If so, what can I do and where can I go?
The order instructs residents to stay home as much as possible to avoid potential mixing between households and strangers to minimize potential exposure to and risk of spreading COVID-19. People from the same household can go outside for exercise, to walk pets, ride bikes, hike and do other outdoor forms of recreation, as long as you wear a mask and maintain safe physical distancing from others.
People can also go about “essential” activities such as grocery shopping, picking up to-go orders at restaurants, doctor visits, outdoor worship services and school.
What’s still open under the order?
Unlike March, when many “non-essential” stores were closed unless they sold food and other groceries, retailers can remain open, but with capacity limits. Grocery stores can be open at up to 35% capacity, while all other retail stores are limited to 20% capacity. Shopping centers are also open with indoor access limited to 20%, with food courts closed and no eating and drinking in stores.
Outdoor recreation places can be open for physically distanced exercise, but no food, drink or alcohol sales are allowed. Schools that had already reopened, either under the blueprint tiers or with waivers from the state, can remain open. Offices for “critical infrastructure” or essential services can be open when remote work is not possible.
Restaurants can be open, but only for take-out and delivery orders. Medical offices such as physicians, dentists, optometrists and other health services can open.
On Wednesday, the state reversed itself and returned outdoor playgrounds to the list of what can be open.
What businesses are supposed to be closed?
Businesses that are considered “non-essential” are required to close their doors to in-person, indoor activities. Hair salons and barbershops, personal care services (such as nail salons, tattoo or piercing shops, massage parlors and salon spas), museums, zoos, aquariums, indoor movie theaters, wineries, bars, breweries and distilleries are among those sectors that are closed.
Family entertainment centers, cardrooms and satellite wagering are all closed under the order. So too are a wide array of “limited services” including auto repair shops, laundromats, dry cleaners, car washes, landscapers, door-to-door services and sales, pet grooming and dog walking are also among those on the state’s list to close their in-person activities – though obviously many remain open, in some cases by offering curbside drop-off or pick-up without customers going inside.
Unless they provide to-go or delivery orders, restaurants are also closed under the order.
“This is not about which sector is riskier than another sector, it’s about that fact that any mixing among households presents a risk of disease transmission,” state health officials said in the prepared statement to The Bee.
Why are restaurants closed for indoor or outdoor dining?
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the coronavirus is airborne and passed through droplets. People can breathe in those droplets or airborne particles while in close proximity to or in a poorly ventilated space with an infected person. In-person dining and drinking — unlike shopping at a grocery store or retail store — requires people take off their masks for longer periods of time together, thus increasing possibility for exposure.
A recent article in the journal Nature, reporting on a study of travel habits during lockdowns and stay-at-home orders earlier this year, reported that certain types of places that people go – such as restaurants – were likely to result in greater risk of coronavirus infection than others as a result of lifting pandemic restrictions.
“On average across metro areas, full-service restaurants, gyms, hotels, cafes, religious organizations and limited-service restaurants produced the largest predicted increases in infections when reopened,” the study’s authors reported. “Reopening full-service restaurants was associated with a particularly high risk.” Mobility data showed that such places held higher risk because they attracted more people and and visitors stayed longer, the authors reported.
Can I go to church or my place of worship?
Churches, synagogues, mosques and other houses of worship are allowed only to hold services and activities outside for the duration of the order.
Who’s supposed to enforce the order?
In Fresno County, Sheriff Margaret Mims said her department’s deputies will not be patrolling for violations by residents or businesses who don’t comply with masking, social distancing or closures. Leaders in the cities of Fresno and Clovis indicated that their police officers will focus on their normal duties rather than enforcing closure orders.
David Pomaville, director of the Fresno County Department of Public Health, said his agency will be working with business owners to educate them and help them comply. But, he added, if a business creates a serious threat to public health, the department would take enforcement measures
Additionally, Pomaville said that state agencies, such as the Bureau of Alcoholic Beverage Control and the Division of Occupational Safety and Health, have the authority to enforce closure orders.
