On Wednesday, Dec. 30, Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Steve Rosansky announced via a video sent to Chamber members and other businesses and community members that the regional stay-at-home order for Orange County, and Newport Beach, had been extended.
“As expected, the announcement was made today that the regional stay-at-home order for Southern California, which has been in effect for three weeks, will remain in place for the foreseeable future,” said Rosansky in the video message. “The extension is due to the record number of coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths occurring in the Southern California region, which includes Orange County, and the lack of ICU bed availability in Southern California hospitals in general.”
Rosansky noted that the stay-at-home order keeps in place a host of restrictions on businesses, including the prohibition on indoor and outdoor dining at restaurants.
However, Rosansky said that Gov. Newsom’s extension of the stay-at-home order will likely have a very limited effect.
“It seems there has been widespread noncompliance by individuals and businesses, especially in those jurisdictions where there has been little to no enforcement,” said Rosansky. “Lack of compliance seems to be a direct result of COVID fatigue and Gov. Newsom’s failure to convincingly explain the direct relationship between the stay-at-home restrictions and the science behind the spread of the coronavirus.”
Rosansky explained that in deciding whether to lift a regional stay-at-home order, the state’s Department of Public Health looks at four factors:
- Current ICU capacity, which is now at 0 percent
- Current seven-day case rate, which has been increasing
- Current transmission rate, which is now 1.1 (which means the rate of transmission has been increasing)
- Current rate of ICU admissions, which has tripled in Orange County over the last month
“Needless to say, with the effects of Christmas last week and New Year’s this week not factored in yet, we will be under the regional stay-at-home order in Southern California well into February,” said Rosansky.
For more information, visit www.NewportBeach.com.
