Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected to rescind California’s regional coronavirus stay-at-home orders Monday — a move that could allow for the resumption of outdoor dining, as well as at least some services at gyms, barber shops and nail salons, among other businesses, according to multiple media reports.
Counties would also return to the color-coded tier system, the Los Angeles Times reported Sunday night, quoting “sources briefed on the plan by the governor’s office.”
According to the Times, most counties in the state would go into the “widespread” risk tier. That would allow salons to offer some limited services but keep restrictions on other nonessential businesses.
Newsom’s Office of Emergency Services also confirmed to CBS2 on Sunday night that the order could be lifted.
“We see promising signs that California is slowly emerging from the most intense stage of this pandemic,” Brian Ferguson, deputy direct for crisis communication, told the station.
“We continue to look at what that means for the regional stay-at-home order and anticipate that the state Department of Public Health will provide a formal update (this) morning.”
Also, a letter from the California Restaurant Association dated Sunday read, “Late this evening, senior officials in the Newsom administration informed us that the governor will announce tomorrow that the stay-at-home order will be lifted in all regions of the state.”
The news came as the Riverside University Health System has reported 258,352 coronavirus cases since the public health documentation period began in early March, and 2,777 deaths stemming from virus-related complications.
The agency does not provide updated statistics on weekends.
On Friday, 2,500 new cases were reported compared with 2,739 Thursday, plus 38 virus-related deaths, while COVID-19 hospitalizations countywide fell.
The fatalities are trailing indicators because of delays processing death certificates and cover three- to four-week periods, sometimes longer.
COVID-positive hospitalizations countywide were at 1,497 Friday, a drop of 32 from Thursday. That includes 335 intensive care unit patients, unchanged from a day ago. The county’s COVID patient count generally has been trending down since Jan. 12.
The number of known active virus cases countywide was 78,752 Friday, up 1,116. The active count is derived by subtracting deaths and recoveries from the current total — 258,352– according to the county Executive Office.
Verified patient recoveries countywide are at 177,003.
On Thursday, the county’s SARS-Cov-2 vaccination reservation portal crashed because of heavy traffic that filled all available slots for weekend immunization clinics countywide. Interim county CEO Juan Perez apologized for the disruption, and the Executive Office replaced the website.
The new appointment portal can be accessed via www.rivcoph.org/COVID-19-Vaccine. Guidelines on how to book appointments are available on the site.
Clinics are planned Monday to Friday, with some slots reserved specifically for residents in tier 1 of Phase 1B — those who are 65 years and older — under the California Department of Public Health’s revised vaccination guidance.
The county’s overall COVID-19 positive rate is 23.8%, down from 25.8% last week, based on state-adjusted figures.
The 11-county Southern California region’s ICU availability officially remains at 0%.
The regional ICU bed metric is a key benchmark under Gov. Gavin Newsom’s regional stay-at-home order, which went into effect on Dec. 6. The order was triggered when ICU bed availability across Southern California fell below 15%.
The mandate is expected to remain in effect until bed availabilities recover.
The current stay-at-home order impacts bars, theaters, museums, hair salons, indoor recreational facilities, amusement parks and wineries — all of which are supposed to remain closed.
Restaurants are confined to takeout and delivery, with capacity limitations on retail outlets.