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LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — California’s regional stay-at-home order has been lifted because of a marked improvement in the state’s battle against the coronavirus, state officials announced Monday morning.
Healthcare workers operate in the ICU of the Beverly Hospital in Montebello City, Calif., on Jan. 22, 2021. (Getty Images)
The order was lifted for the regions of Southern California, the San Joaquin Valley and the Bay Area.
That means outdoor dining could resume and salons could reopen in Southern California, but only if individual counties allow it.
All counties will return to using the color-coded tier system, the California Department of Public Health said. All 11 counties in the Southern California region are in the purple tier, which is the most restrictive.
“This action allows all counties statewide to return to the rules and framework of the Blueprint for a Safer Economy and color-coded tiers that indicate which activities and businesses are open based on local case rates and test positivity,” CDPH said in a news release. “The majority of the counties are in the strictest, or purple tier.”
The California Restaurant Association had reported Sunday night in a letter that Gov. Gavin Newsom was expected to make the formal announcement Monday. The Governor’s Office of Emergency Services provided CBSLA with the following statement Sunday night:
“We see promising signs that California is slowly emerging from the most intense stage of this pandemic,” said Brian Ferguson, deputy direct for crisis communication. “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 tomorrow morning.”
The regional stay-at-home order, which took effect Dec. 7, banned nearly all private and public gatherings. It also banned restaurant dining, both indoor and outdoor.
It was triggered when a region’s intensive care unit availability dipped below 15%. Southern California’s ICU capacity plummeted to 0%. However, CDP said Monday that all regions had moved above 15%.
Under the order, all hair salons and personal care facilities were required to close, along with all bars and breweries, movie theaters, cardrooms, museums and zoos. Retail stores are limited to 20% capacity, and grocery stores to 35%.
The order did, however, allow for religious gatherings and protests. Los Angeles County has been allowing houses of worship to hold indoor services since last month.
Schools which have already been given waivers to reopen campuses were allowed to continue in-person instruction under the order as well.
The 11 counties in the Southern California region are Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Mono, Imperial and Inyo.
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