City of Sonora

View the Press Release in PDF here: https://www.tuolumnecounty.ca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/15464 Spanish version: https://www.tuolumnecounty.ca.gov/DocumentC...enter/View/15466 More information on the order here: https://covid19.ca.gov/stay-home-except-for-essential-needs/ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 5, 2020 Regional Stay Home Order Effective for the San Joaquin Valley Restaurants, Hair Salons, and Other Businesses to Return to More Protective Guidelines to Reduce Spread of COVID-19 SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY REGION Governor Gavin Newsom announced that all sectors other than retail and essential operations will close in regions of the State where less than 15 percent of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds are available under a new Regional Stay Home Order. As of today, Regional ICU capacity has fallen below 15% available capacity, applying the Regional Stay Home Order to all counties in the San Joaquin Valley Region, effective Sunday, December 6, 2020 at 11:59 pm. The new Regional Order is a protective measure to limit the spread of COVID- 19 and support the most vulnerable community members and hospital frontline workers. The Regional Stay Home Order will be in effect for at least 3 weeks and urges Californians to stay at home as much as possible to limit the mixing with other households that can lead to COVID- 19 spread. It allows access to (and travel for) critical services and allows outdoor activities to preserve Californians’ physical and mental health. This limited closure will help stop the surge and prevent overwhelming regional ICU capacity. We are at a point where surging cases and hospitalizations are not letting up. These protective measures require all of us to take action and be diligent. I can’t emphasize this enough everyone must take personal steps to protect themselves and protect others, said Dr. Salvador Sandoval, Merced County’s Public Health Officer. We know that people are tired of the stringent measures, but they are the only weapons we have to combat the virus. Now, more than ever, we need San Joaquin Valley residents to step up and take these actions seriously - wash hands, wear a face covering, limit gatherings, get tested and socially distance, said Dr. Maggie Park, San Joaquin County Public Health Officer. "Our mountain communities rely on the region for ICU-level care for COVID and other serious medical conditions, transferring our sickest to hospitals in the San Joaquin Valley. These hospitals are stretched to capacity. It is crucial that each one of us does our part to decrease the transmission of COVID. Our collective actions will make a difference!" Dr. Eric Sergienko, Mariposa County Health Officer and Acting Health Officer for Tuolumne County. Our only hospital in San Benito County is completely full. This is an alarming situation that could get much worse. We can only get through this if we work together. Please follow our advice to keep yourself, your family and your neighbor’s safe, says Dr. David Ghilarducci, San Benito Public Health Officer. Home for the holidays takes on a new meaning this year. We acknowledge that this order will change what the holiday season traditionally looks like for families. We are asking you to protect the vulnerable in your family and in your community by taking the order seriously and staying home, said Dr. Simon Paul, Madera County Public Health Officer. COVID-19 continues to spread at alarming rates in Tulare County, and most concerning are the number of people needing to be hospitalized for COVID-19. It is imperative we take these protective actions in order to not overwhelm our local hospitals. The measures we all need to take is to avoid any gatherings outside our household, wear a face covering, social distance, and wash our hands. These are vital to decrease transmission of COVID-19, said Dr. Karen Haught, Tulare County Public Health Officer. For more information on the Regional Stay Home Order on the State’s website at www.COVID- 19.ca.gov. ### Regional Stay Home Order FAQ Due to the activation of the Regional Stay Home Order, the following sectors have until December 6, 2020 at 11:59pm to close operations: Indoor and outdoor playgrounds Indoor recreational facilities Hair salons and barbershops Personal care services Museums, zoos, and aquariums Movie theaters Wineries Bars, breweries, and distilleries Family entertainment centers Cardrooms and satellite wagering Limited services Live audience sports Amusement parks The following sectors will have additional modifications in addition to 100% masking and physical distancing: Outdoor recreational facilities: Allow outdoor operation only without any food, drink or alcohol sales. Additionally, overnight stays at campgrounds will not be permitted. Retail: Allow indoor operation 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. Shopping centers: Allow indoor operation 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 to open for critical infrastructure support only. Restaurants: Allow only for take-out, pick-up, 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 services only. Entertainment production including professional sports: Allow operation without live audiences. Additionally, testing protocol and bubbles are highly encouraged. The following sectors are allowed to remain open when a remote option is not possible with appropriate infectious disease preventative measures including 100% masking and physical distancing: Critical infrastructure Schools (Schools that are currently open are able to continue to provide in-person instruction on school sites.) Non-urgent medical and dental care Childcare and pre-K For more information on the Regional Stay Home Order on the State’s website at www.covid19.ca.gov.

Don't forget about some of the COVID-19 resources available. Community Resources Portal: https://bit.ly/TCcovidPortal Tuolumne County Public Health Website:... www.tuolumnecounty.ca.gov/publichealth Public Health COVID-19 Call Center: (209) 533-7440 California COVID-19 website: www.covid19.ca.gov State Testing Site info and Appointments: https://lhi.care/covidtesting Tuolumne County Business: www.tcdisasterassistance.com CDC COVID-19 website: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html Thank you all for your efforts to help protect the safety and health of our community!

Unfortunately with the County of Tuolumne moving into the more restrictive Purple Tier, the City of Sonora has officially canceled it's annual Sonora Christmas Parade. https://www.mymotherlode.com//sonora-christmas-parade-offi

With regard to the Governor's Limited Stay at Home Order issued yesterday, the Police Department wants to assure the community that our enforcement efforts will... remain unmodified. The Police Department will do our part to help educate and to encourage compliance through nontraditional enforcement methods to the extent possible. We respect the States Executive Orders and the guidance of our local Health Officer. We ask our community to self-regulate and avoid activities that counteract efforts designed to keep our neighborhoods healthy. Our commitment to public safety remains our highest priority, and we will continue to concentrate our efforts on issues relating to crime and the prevention of criminal activity.

Reminder of what changes in our new tier: This graphic shares a good overview of what changes you can expect to see in the Purple Tier, but if you have more que...stions check out the following resources. For local COVID-19 Information: www.tuolumnecounty.ca.gov/250/Public-Health For an overview of sectors in Purple enter "Tuolumne" into the search bar: covid19.ca.gov/safer-economy/#county-status For the California Department of Public Health Dimmer Framework: www.cdph.ca.gov/.../Dimmer-Framework-September... For businesses, we recommend following this webpage to learn more about the tier changes and businesses: www.tcdisasterassistance.com/ Regarding schools, those that were open before moving into the Purple Tier can remain open according to their school safety plans. If they close while in Purple, they must remain closed until we move back into Red. Continue to wash your hands, wear your mask, and practice social distancing. Stay at home expect for essential needs to help stop the spread. If you have questions, our team is here to help. We are experiencing a high level of calls and emails, but will get back to you as quickly as we can. 209-533-7440 Email: [email protected]

UPDATE November 14, 2020 Public Health was updated by the California Department of Public Health on the evening of November 13, 2020 regarding the rapidly inc...reasing number of cases and hospitalizations within the state. To address this, the state, along with the States of Washington and Oregon have released a travel advisory to discourage travel over the upcoming holidays. This is an advisory and not a ban. In addition, Dr. Pan (the acting State Health Officer and State Epidemiologist) indicated that the state may move counties more quickly to a more restrictive tier based on one week of data and implementing measures within one day rather than three. They may also determine the need to move back more than one tier at a time. The state anticipates that they will announce tier movements on Monday, November 16, 2020 rather than the usual Tuesday announcement. Tuolumne County’s weekly case rate is above 7 per 100,000 which is used as an indicator to move into the Purple tier. As a small county, absolute case numbers based on episode date are used to determine moving back tiers. 21 cases weekly in two consecutive weeks (with a one-week data lag) would move us back into the Red tier. For the two weeks from October 24 to November 7, 2020, we exceeded this number. We had over 42 cases in the week of November 1-7. Given the possibility of moving up timelines and shortening to a week of data as mentioned above, this creates the possibility of moving directly into the Purple tier as early as Tuesday, November 17, 2020. While there are a number of scenarios the state may implement in the next month, we expect some impacts on businesses in any given sector with regards to a reduction in services. Public Health will continue to advocate for as much time and notification of any tier movements but want to alert business owners about the possibility of moving into more restrictive tiers more quickly so that businesses can manage staffing and stock (especially perishables) ahead of announcements from the state early next week. Business owners can view Tier updates and sector information at: https://covid19.ca.gov/safer-economy/. Businesses are also welcome to reach out to Tuolumne County Business and Innovation for information on local business updates and upcoming webinars at: (209) 288-4030. There is a business webinar on Wednesday, November 18, 2020 at 6 p.m. To register for this webinar please visit: https://www.tcdisasterassistance.com/. As always, we encourage the public to remain vigilant about COVID-19 safety. Each community and each individual can do their part to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by focusing on the basics: wearing a mask, watching their distance, washing their hands, and staying home when sick.