South Lake Tahoe and El Dorado County not under shut down orders, yet

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - With a surge of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, California Governor Newsom today issued a new regional stay-at-home order as an "emergency brake" to slow the spread of COVID-19 in the state.

This order goes into effect in regions with less than 15 percent ICU availability. At this time, the El Dorado County does not fall into that group but it could be a matter of days until it does. The county is part of the Greater Sacramento Region which is at 22 percent capacity as of Thursday.

Newsom said the orders could come as early as a day or two, up to a week or two, depending on the region.

The following will take place when the order is in place:

Prohibits private gatherings of any size, closes sector operations except for critical infrastructure and retail, and requires 100 percent masking and physical distancing in all others.

Stay home or at their place of residence, except for permitted work, local shopping or other permitted errands, or as otherwise authorized.

The following must close when in effect:
• 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

If and when the order takes place for South Lake Tahoe and El Dorado County, it will remain in effect for at least three weeks and, after that period, will be lifted when a region’s projected ICU capacity meets or exceeds 15 percent. This will be assessed on a weekly basis after the initial three week period.

No regions are immediately affected, but current projections show all regions except the Bay Area meeting that threshold in the next few days:

• Early December - Greater Sacramento (Alpine, Amador, Butte, Colusa, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, Sierra, Sutter, Yolo, Yuba)
• Early December - Northern California (Del Norte, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Mendocino, Modoc, Shasta, Siskiyou, Tehama, Trinity)
• Early December - San Joaquin Valley (Calaveras, Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, San Benito, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Tulare, Tuolumne)
• Early December - Southern California (Imperial, Inyo, Los Angeles, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura)
• Mid-to late December - Bay Area (Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Monterey, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma)

The Regional Stay 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 (and travel for) critical services and allows outdoor activities to preserve Californians’ physical and mental health. This limited closure is meant stop the surge and prevent overwhelming regional ICU capacity.

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, 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 that are already open for in-person learning
• Non-urgent medical and dental care
• Child care and pre-K

When it comes to enforcement, the state is largely leaving it to the local level. However, Newsom said there would be consequences for any uncooperative counties.

"If you're unwilling to adopt the protocols to support the mitigation and the reduction of the spread of this disease, we're happy to redirect those dollars to counties that feel differently," the governor said.

Many sheriffs in the state have said they wouldn't enforce in the past, including El Dorado and Sacramento Counties.

To find out more about the Regional Stay Home Order, visit here: https://covid19.ca.gov/stay-home-except-for-essential-needs/.

For the latest breakdown of COVID-19 data for the state of California, visit: https://covid19.ca.gov/.