TALG continues to monitor COVID-19 shutdown orders for its clients in California. On December 3, 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom introduced a new regional framework for combating the coronavirus (“CA Framework”). The CA Framework divides the state into five regions, and if the intensive care unit capacity in a region drops below 15%, it must comply with a new stay-at-home order. The five regions are:
- Northern California – consisting of the following counties: Del Norte, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Mendocino, Modoc, Shasta, Siskiyou, Tehama, Trinity
- Bay Area: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Monterey, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma counties
- Greater Sacramento: Alpine, Amador, Butte, Colusa, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, Sierra, Sutter, Yolo, Yuba
- San Joaquin Valley: Calaveras, Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, San Benito, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Tulare, Tuolumne; and
- Southern California: Imperial, Inyo, Los Angeles, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties.
Projections show that all counties are on track to move into a shutdown phase in December, and some regions may do so in the coming days. Regions that must implement the stay-at-home order requirement will be under the lockdown for three weeks, and the following sectors must close in regions under the order:
- 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
What can remain open includes the following:
- Outdoor recreational facilities (without any food, drink or alcohol sales; overnight stays at campgrounds not permitted).
- Retail: Indoor operation allowed at 20% capacity with no eating or drinking in the stores. Special hours to be instituted for seniors and others with chronic conditions/compromised immune systems.
- Shopping centers: Indoor operation allowed at 20% capacity and no eating or drinking in the stores. Special hours for seniors and those with chronic conditions/compromised immune systems.
- Hotels and lodging: Allowed to open for critical infrastructure support only.
- Restaurants: Permitted only for take-out or pick-up.
- Offices: Remote only except for critical infrastructure sectors where remote working is not possible.
- Places of worship: Outdoor services only.
- Entertainment production including professional sports: Permitted without live audiences. Additionally, testing protocol and “bubbles” are highly encouraged.
The CA Framework doesn’t impact existing state guidance regarding schools and critical infrastructure, non-urgent medical and dental care and childcare can remain open when remote option isn’t possible.
TALG works with its clients on a daily basis to plan for and mitigate where possible the effects of shutdown orders on their businesses.