Tuesday, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced that the Southern California Region will remain under the State of California’s “Regional Stay-at-Home Order.” The County of Orange, along with 10 other Southern California Counties, were originally placed under the State’s Regional Stay-at-Home Order on December 3, 2020.
As a result, Orange County residents will continue to be required to stay at home as much as possible and not gather with other households to reduce exposure due to our region’s available intensive care unit (ICU) capacity being under 15 percent.
The Southern California Region may come out of the Stay-at-Home Order if at such time hospital ICU capacity projected four weeks out reaches above or equal to 15 percent.
Then, individual counties such as the County of Orange will return to the appropriate Blueprint for a Safer Economy tier as determined by case rate and test positivity. If the ICU capacity for the Southern California Region is less than 15 percent after the three-week period, the ICU capacity will be assessed weekly to determine when the order can be lifted.
For more information, visit the State’s COVID-19 website.
What Orange County Residents and Businesses Can Do
There are several steps Orange County residents can do at this time:
Get Tested for COVID-19
The OC Health Care Agency officials are urging residents, especially those with any symptoms, to get tested for the virus.
COVID-19 testing is now widely available across the county for those who are symptomatic or asymptomatic, with or without insurance, at no cost. Testing takes only a few minutes and results generally come back within two to three days.
If you test positive for COVID-19, stay home and let close contacts know. A close contact is someone you were within 6 feet for at least 15 minutes within a 24-hour period during the infectious period.
Stay Home if You Don’t Feel Well
Consult with a health care provider. If you do not have a health care provider, please call the OC Health Care Agency’s Health Referral Line at 1(800) 564-8448.
Stay Home When Possible
When you leave the house, avoid crowds and stay 6 feet apart from people not in your household.
Do Not Gather
Do not mix households at this time.
Wear a Face Covering
Wear a face covering you are around people not in your household, especially when indoors.
Wash Your Hands Often
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
Avoid Touching Your Eyes, Nose and Mouth with Unwashed Hands
Clean and Disinfect Frequently Touched Surfaces
Understand and Comply with the State’s Guideline for Your Business and Events
Orange County residents may search for a business or activity type by visiting https://covid19.ca.gov/safer-economy/ and typing in “Orange” in the County field, entering the business or activity type, and clicking, “GET LATEST STATUS.”
For questions related to COVID-19, contact the Orange County COVID-19 Hotline at 1(833) 426-6411, visit http://www.ochealthinfo.com/novelcoronavirus, or follow the HCA on Facebook (@ochealthinfo) and Twitter (@ochealth).