What can and can’t you do in SLO County under the coronavirus stay-at-home order?
Update to this story >> >> Can you eat outdoors at SLO County restaurants under stay-at-home order?
San Luis Obispo County residents, along with most Californians, were issued a stay-at-home order due to rising coronavirus cases and hospitalizations across the state.
The stay-at-home order is tied to the intensive care unit bed availability of five California regions. When a region’s ICU availability dips below 15%, the stay-at-home order is enacted for at least three weeks and until ICU availability is increased, according to the California Department of Public Health.
San Luis Obispo County, which is considered to be a part of the Southern California region, began the stay-at-home order just before midnight Dec. 6.
The new order is similar to the shelter-at-home order issued in March — but this time retail stores may remain open at limited capacity, some businesses are allowed to operate outdoors and schools that reopened their campuses may continue to teach students in person.
As of the most recent data released Thursday, Southern California’s ICU availability was 7.7%, about 7.3 percentage points below the stay-at-home order threshold, according to the California Department of Public Health.
This new order has bought up many questions as to what is and isn’t allowed. Here’s a quick guide to the stay-at-home order.
Who does this new stay-at-home order apply to?
Everyone who lives in San Luis Obispo County, along with people in Imperial, Inyo, Los Angeles, Mono, Orange, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.
Stay-at-home orders also apply to the greater Sacramento region and the San Joaquin Valley region.
How long will the stay-at-home order last in SLO County?
The stay-at-home order will last at least three weeks from when it began. In San Luis Obispo County, that means the order will last at least until 11:59 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 27.
The order can last longer if Southern California’s ICU bed availability remains below 15% through Dec. 27.
Why is SLO County in the Southern California region?
California was divided into five regions based on county public health officer groupings that share best practices and resources, San Luis Obispo County Public Health Officer Dr. Penny Borenstein said at a Dec. 3 news briefing.
On Dec. 8, San Luis Obispo County, along with Ventura and Santa Barbara counties sent a joint letter to the state requesting that the three counties separate from the Southern California region and form a Central Coast region.
The county was still a part of the Southern California region as of Friday.
What can I leave the house to do under the order?
The goal of the order is to encourage residents to stay at home as much as possible. People can still go to grocery and retail stores, pick up takeout food, attend outdoor worship services and visit the doctor or dentist, even for non-emergencies, among other activities.
People can also continue to recreate outdoors, as long as they are wearing masks and distancing from people outside their household.
Acceptable outdoor activities include walking, cycling, hiking, going to drive-in movie theaters and going to the beach, park or playground.
Campgrounds, however, had to close due to the stay-at-home order.
What businesses are closed under the new shutdown order?
Businesses that are not considered “critical infrastructure” have been ordered to close down or, in some cases, severely restrict their services.
Businesses that are required to shut down include hair salons, barber shops, nail salons, spas, tattoo parlors, museums, zoos, aquariums, indoor movie theaters, indoor places of worship, indoor gym facilities, family entertainment centers, cardrooms, amusement parks, indoor playgrounds, bars, breweries and wineries (unless they serve food).
Limited services, including auto shops, laundromats, car washes, pet grooming and landscaping businesses also must close.
The stay-at-home order also stopped outdoor dining at restaurants, in addition to the already closed indoor dining services. Curbside pickup, takeout and delivery are still allowed.
Retail stores and malls are allowed to remain open at only 20% capacity, unlike the shelter-at-home order in March.
Why are some businesses allowed to stay open?
Businesses that are considered to be a part of the essential critical infrastructure workforce are allowed to stay open., while businesses that have a higher risk of spreading COVID-19 or bringing groups from multiple households together were ordered to close to the public.
The order is meant to limit the “mixing and movement of individuals from different households” to slow the spread of transmission, the CDPH said.
How does the order affect schools and in-person education?
The order does not change much for schools offering kindergarten through 12th grade in San Luis Obispo County.
Schools that reopened under an elementary school waiver or during the window San Luis Obispo County was in the less-restrictive red tier may continue to provide in-person instruction.
Schools that have yet to reopen their campuses to students cannot reopen fully at this time.
Can I still go to my church or place of worship?
Yes, but not for indoor services. Congregants may gather outdoors or online to worship.
Indoor gatherings are not permitted under the new stay-at-home order, nor have they been allowed under the purple tier, which San Luis Obispo County entered in mid-November.
Why are restaurants closed to indoor and outdoor dining?
Curbside pickup, takeout and delivery are still allowed at restaurants and bars, breweries or wineries that serve food under the new order.
The shift from outdoor dining to takeout only was a result of increased coronavirus transmission across the state.
According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the novel coronavirus is airborne and passed through droplets. The CDC said masks have been shown to help prevent the spread of the virus. However, when people are eating and drinking, they must remove their masks for extended periods of time, increasing exposure.
The county released new guidance on Thursday, clarifying that people can eat their takeout food at restaurants’ outdoor parklets.
Restaurants can’t offer table service, and alcohol consumption at the outdoor tables isn’t allowed, according to an email from the city of San Luis Obispo. Face masks and social distancing are also expected, the city email said.
Who will enforce the stay-at-home order?
Ultimately, enforcement of the stay-at-home order will come down to local officials, police officers and sheriff’s deputies. But several local officials have said they aren’t planning on aggressively enforcing the order.
San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson and county District Attorney Dan Dow said in separate statements on Dec. 8 that they will not criminalize residents who don’t stick to the regulations.
“We will not be responding to calls for service based solely on non-compliance with the new order,” Parkinson wrote in the statement.
The Paso Robles City Council voted Thursday night to refrain from enforcing the stay-at-home order, but said the city will continue to implement purple tier regulations. By Friday afternoon, the city had backtracked, clarifying that it does not have the authority to alter state regulations.
Do you have questions regarding the stay-at-home order or coronavirus in general? Please fill out the form below and your questions could be asked at a news briefing, show up in an article or will be answered by a Tribune reporter via email.
This article was updated Dec. 13 to include new guidance from San Luis Obispo County about outdoor dining and takeout.
This story was originally published December 13, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
