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1. Why is this Regional Stay Home Order being implemented now?

We are in the midst of an unprecedented surge in cases and hospitalizations in California and across the country. Without immediate action, many hospital Intensive Care Units (ICU) will reach capacity before the end of the year. ICU beds are a critical resource for individuals who need the most advanced support and care. Given the nationwide surge, the ability to add surge ICU capacity is limited by the availability of ICU nurses and physicians. We need to protect our hospital capacity so those who need care—for such things as cancer treatment, heart attacks, and strokes—can get it. By taking this action we are saving lives, protecting our health care delivery system, and keeping those at highest risk and essential workers safe.

2. What does the Regional Stay Home Order do?

The Regional Stay Home Order instructs Californians to stay at home as much as possible and to stop mixing between households that can lead to COVID-19 spread. It allows access to critical services and allows outdoor activities to preserve Californians’ physical and mental health. The Regional Stay Home Order will help stop the surge and prevent overwhelming regional ICU capacity. 

Under the order, the following sectors are allowed to remain open with safety precautions: 

• Critical infrastructure (when remote option is not possible)
• Schools
• Non-urgent medical and dental care
• Child care and pre-K

The following sectors will have additional modifications in addition to 100% masking and physical distancing:

• Outdoor recreational facilities: Allow outdoor operation only for the purpose of facilitating physically distanced personal health and wellness through outdoor exercise, without any food, drink or alcohol sales. Additionally, overnight stays at campgrounds will not be permitted.
• Retail: Allow indoor operation at 20% capacity, and 35% of capacity for standalone grocery stores, 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 access at 20% 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 for COVID-19 mitigation and containment measures, treatment measures, provide accommodation for essential workers, or providing housing solutions, including measures to protect homeless populations.
• Restaurants: Allow only for take-out 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 activities only.
• Entertainment production: Industries, studios, and other related establishments such as establishments that provide content for professional broadcasts can operate without live audiences.

In any region that triggers a Regional Stay Home Order because it drops below 15% ICU capacity all operations in the following sectors must be closed (except to the extent that their operations fall within critical infrastructure):

• Hair salons and barbershops
• Personal care services
• Museums, zoos, and aquariums
• Movie theaters (except drive-in)
• Wineries, bars, breweries, and distilleries
• Family entertainment centers
• Cardrooms and satellite wagering
• Limited services
• Live audience sports
• Amusement parks

3. When does the Regional Stay Home Order take effect?

The Regional Stay Home Order will be implemented regionally once there is less than 15% ICU capacity remaining in the designated region. After three weeks from the start of the Regional Stay Home Order in the region, one of two situations would occur:

1. The order will end in a region if the region’s ICU capacity projected out four weeks (from day 22 after the Regional Stay Home Order started in the region) is above or equal to 15%. Each county in the region will then be assigned to a tier based on the Blueprint for a Safer Economy and the rules of the Blueprint will apply again.
2. The order will remain in effect in a region if its ICU capacity projected out four weeks (from day 22 after the Regional Stay Home Order started in the region) is less than 15%. The order will remain in effect until the region’s projected ICU capacity is equal or greater than 15%. This would be assessed approximately twice a week.

4. How does the Regional Stay Home Order impact schools?

The Order does not modify existing state guidance regarding K-12 schools.

Schools that are currently open are able to continue to provide in-person instruction on school sites. 

• Schools that are currently operating under an elementary school waiver are able to continue to provide instruction to students on school sites.
• Schools that reopened while their county was in a less restrictive tier are able to continue to provide instruction to students on school sites.
• All schools that have not yet reopened for in-person instruction are able to continue to serve small cohorts of students (e.g., students with disabilities) following CDPH Guidance.

Schools are still required to follow the Schools Guidance issued by CDPH which outlines requirements for safe conditions, testing and tracing. Schools may be required to close if certain percentages of staff and students are diagnosed with COVID-19. All existing guidance applicable to schools can be found on the CDPH website.

5. How does the Regional Stay Home Order impact travel?

Hotels and lodging cannot accept or honor out-of-state reservations for non-essential travel unless the reservation is for at least the minimum time period required for quarantine and the persons identified in the reservation will quarantine in the hotel or lodging entity until after that time period has expired. 

When the Regional Stay Home Order is in effect in a region, hotels and lodging can only offer accommodation for COVID-19 mitigation and containment measures, treatment measures, accommodation for essential workers, or providing housing solutions, including measures to protect the homeless populations. 

Additionally, the Travel Advisory remains in effect.

6. How will the Regional Stay Home Order slow the spread of COVID-19?

Limiting mixing and movement of individuals from different households is critical in order to stop the transmission of the virus. All activities are higher-risk now in California based on the level of community spread we are currently seeing. By staying home, we are limiting exposure and interrupting the chain of transmission.