The Los Angeles Department of Public Health is continuing the Safer at Home Order. The City of West Hollywood is urging community members to follow the guidelines that have been in effect since March 13, 2020 and to become familiar with revisions that have been made to the Order. The Safer At Home revised Order aims to continue to stem and slow the spread of coronavirus in the region; nearly 40,000 people in Los Angeles County has tested positive for COVID-19 and there have been more than 1,800 deaths in LA County.
The Safer at Home Order has been revised as a continuation that begins to move Los Angeles County into stage-two of its Roadmap to Recovery: A Phased Approach to Reopening Safely in Los Angeles County. It will continue until it is extended, rescinded, superseded, or amended in writing by the Health Officer of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
The revised Order by the Los Angeles Department of Public Health is available by visiting: http://publichealth.lacounty.gov.
“It is imperative that community members in West Hollywood continue to follow Safer at Home orders and do everything we can to stop the progression of coronavirus,” said City of West Hollywood Mayor Lindsey P. Horvath. “The revised Order from LA County extends the stay-at-home timeline and that will mean the temptation of gathering for warm sunny days and socializing. But, nothing is more important than staying safe and that means continuing to be vigilant in adhering to physical distancing, the use of cloth face coverings, and staying at home whenever we can.”
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has indicated that Safer at Home orders will remain in place over the next few months, but that restrictions will be gradually relaxed under a five-stage Roadmap to Recovery while making sure that communities are kept as safe as possible during the pandemic.
The Safer at Home revised Order offers new requirements for cloth face coverings: “People leaving their residences for the limited purposes allowed by [the] Order must strictly comply with the Social (Physical) Distancing requirements stated in [the] Order or specified in guidance or protocols established by the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health; this includes wearing a cloth face covering whenever there is or can be contact with others who are non-household members in both public and private places.”
In the City of West Hollywood, the new Emergency Executive Order will require the use of cloth face coverings, beginning on Saturday, May 23, 2020. All persons, including essential workers, will be required to wear face coverings, such as scarves (dense fabric without holes), bandanas, neck gaiters, or similar coverings of any other material that reduces transmission of germs anytime they are out in public. Face coverings will not be required for young children under two-years-old, anyone who has trouble breathing, or anyone who is otherwise unable to remove the face covering without assistance. Children between two- and eight-years-old should only wear face coverings with adult supervision. N95 and medical-grade masks should be reserved for healthcare workers and first responders.
The Safer at Home revised Order continues requirements for residents and businesses, such as:
For individuals – the Order allows individuals to leave their homes to shop at essential businesses including grocery stores, pharmacies, and restaurants offering delivery, drive-thru, curbside, and carry-out service, as well as select “lower-risk” retail businesses offering curbside pickup, so long as all persons practice social (physical) distancing and wear a cloth face covering while visiting these businesses or participating in curbside pickup; and
For essential businesses and select “lower-risk” retail businesses – the Order requires businesses to continue to enforce a social (physical) distancing protocol, which includes a requirement to provide all employees who require contact with other employees and/or the public with a cloth face covering to wear while performing duties that involve contact with others.
All community members who are 65-years-old or older — and all people of any age who have active or unstable pre-existing health conditions — should remain in their residences. People in these categories should leave their homes only when necessary to seek medical care or obtain food or other necessities. Gatherings of people who are not part of a single household or living unit continue to be prohibited by the Safer At Home revised Order.
The Safer at Home revised Order continues the closure of the following types of higher-risk businesses and activities where more frequent and prolonged person-to-person contacts are likely to occur: Bars and nightclubs that do not serve food and the portions of wineries, breweries and taprooms that provide tastings; Gyms and fitness centers; Movie theaters, drive-in theaters, live performance theaters, concert halls and venues, stadiums, arenas, gaming facilities, theme parks, and festivals; Bowling alleys and arcades; Public piers, public beach parking lots, and bicycle paths that traverse the sand; Personal grooming establishments (barbers, hair salons, nail salons); Massage or body art establishments; Indoor and outdoor playgrounds for children, except those located within a childcare center; Community centers, including public pools, and pools, hot tubs, and saunas that are in a multi-unit residence or part of a Homeowners’ Association; Indoor and outdoor flea markets and swap meets; Indoor museums, indoor or outdoor children museums, gallery spaces, zoos, and libraries; and indoor malls and indoor shopping centers, including all stores and vendors located in such malls and indoor shopping centers.
Existing community transmission of the coronavirus continues to present substantial and significant risk of harm to residents’ health. Evidence suggests that the restrictions and requirements imposed by the LA County Health Officer’s Prior Orders have slowed the rate of increase of community transmission and related hospitalizations by severely limiting person-to-person interaction.
