California lifts regional stay-at-home order
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The California Department of Public Health on Monday ended the regional stay-at-home order for all regions statewide, including the three areas that had still been under the order – San Joaquin Valley, the Bay Area and Southern California.
That's because of the good news that the four-week ICU capacity projections for these three regions are above 15%, the state said, which is the threshold needed to exit the order.
"Californians heard the urgent message to stay home as much as possible and accepted that challenge to slow the surge and save lives," said Dr. Tomás Aragón, CDPH director and state public health officer, in a statement. "Together, we changed our activities knowing our short-term sacrifices would lead to longer-term gains. COVID-19 is still here and still deadly, so our work is not over, but it’s important to recognize our collective actions saved lives and we are turning a critical corner."
(Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
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The Sacramento Region exited the order on Jan. 12 and the Northern California region never entered the order.
It was not immediately clear whether all the individual Bay Area health officials would loosen up, despite the OK from the state. Alameda County, however, said shortly after the state's announcement that it would be lifting the lockdown at midnight and be returning to the purple tier. About an hour later, Marin County officials lifted their stay-home order effective immediately.
"Everyone has been making sacrifices to bring this surge under control, and it’s paying off," said Dr. Matt Willis, Marin County Public Health Officer. "As we move back into the purple tier, it’s critical to remember the virus is still very active in our community. We could easily backslide if we let our guard down."
The rest of the counties can follow suit because the state's action returns counties to the color-coded tiers that indicate which activities and businesses are open based on local case rates and test positivity.
The majority of the counties are still in the strictest or purple tier. Outdoor dining is allowed in this tier. Nail and hair salons can open indoors with modifications.
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The state warned that despite the positive signs that the virus is spreading at a slower rate, the COVID-19 pandemic is far from over.
State health officials said t is still critical that Californians continue to wear masks when they leave their homes, maintain physical distance of at least 6 feet, wash their hands frequently, avoid gatherings and mixing with other households, follow all state and local health department guidance and get the vaccine when it’s their turn.
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