By Grace Leung, Newport Beach City Manager
State health officials this week amplified their calls for increased safety precautions amid the Delta variant surge that has increased COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in California.
While there is no statewide mask mandate in place at this time, the California Department of Public Health on Wednesday formally recommended that residents wear face coverings in all indoor public places, regardless of vaccination status. Unvaccinated people are required to wear masks in all indoor public settings, and are urged to get vaccinated as soon as possible. There are currently no plans to implement a new mask mandate in Orange County.
Like all other California counties, Orange County has seen significant increases in COVID cases. Orange County’s average daily case rate (per 100,000 residents) increased from 4.9 to 8 this week, and test positivity is now at 4.9 percent.
According to the Orange County Health Care Agency (HCA), more than 90 percent of the new positive cases are among people who are not fully vaccinated, and more than 95 percent of those hospitalized with COVID-19 had not been fully vaccinated.
Officials encourage testing for those experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, regardless of vaccination status. Self-collection, at- home COVID-19 test kits are available at no cost by visiting www.ochealthinfo.com/covidtest.
For those seeking vaccination options, please visit the HCA page at https://occovid19.ochealthinfo.com/covid-19-vaccine-distribution-channels.
The County has returned to daily weekday updates of COVID-19 cases, with reports available at https://ochca.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/cc4859c8c522496b9f21c451de2fedae.
COVID-19 Cases in Newport Beach
As of July 29, the total cumulative number of COVID-19 cases in Newport Beach was 4,189 and the total cases in Orange County was 263,578. The number of recovered COVID-19 patients countywide as of July 29 was 251,384 These figures are provided to Orange County by the California Department of Public Health.
Homelessness Update
- 18 people who had been experiencing homelessness in Newport Beach are now sheltered in the Costa Mesa Bridge Shelter.
- A couple experiencing homelessness in Newport Beach was placed in the Yale Navigation Center in Santa Ana. The Yale center provides shelter for as many as 425 people experiencing homelessness and provides case managers who locate appropriate housing, assist with job searches, and provide other on-site services.
- City Net collaborated with Orange County’s Adult Protective Services to meet with a client sheltered in a motel. Adult Protective Services operates a 24-hour hotline, 800-451-5155, to prevent or remedy abuse, neglect, or exploitation of adults due to their age or disability.
- Two people experiencing homelessness in Newport Beach were enrolled into City Net services.
- City Net enrolled a man into in-patient psychiatry services.
- City Net placed a man into a medical detoxification program.
For a comprehensive look at the City’s ongoing efforts to address homelessness, please visit our web site at https://www.newportbeachca.gov/trending/community-issues/homelessness.
To donate, please visit our Good Giving Program web page at https://newportbeachca.gov/trending/community-issues/homelessness/how-you-can-help.
Annual Concrete Reconstruction Program
The City of Newport Beach Public Works Department recently completed their Annual Concrete Reconstruction Program. This program is a continuous 7-year cycle and addresses damaged concrete curbs, gutters, sidewalks, and driveway approaches in preparation of the annual slurry seal program.
Often, existing concrete improvements are lifted by tree roots, which may cause improper street drainage or lead to potential tripping hazards. This program involves removing the damaged concrete, pruning the tree roots, and reconstructing the concrete improvements at various isolated locations.
In some cases where root pruning isn’t feasible, the tree will be removed and replanted. This year’s project focused on the West Newport communities and Lido Isle. Thank you for your patience throughout construction.
Grant Howald Park Restroom Rehabilitation
Renovation was recently completed on the restrooms near the tennis courts at Grant Howald Park. The floor of the restroom was leveled and tiled, the interior was painted, certain older fixtures were replaced, partitions and doors were added to the men’s restroom, and protective copper capping was installed on the exposed exterior beams.
Next City Council Meeting on August 24
As a reminder, there is only one City Council meeting in August so the next meeting will be on August 24, 2021.
