New stay at home order takes effect in Monterey County Sunday

MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. (KION) UPDATE 12/13/20 10 p.m. Monterey County is now operating under a new stay at home order. The public health order went into effect Sunday at 10:00 p.m.

Under the order, certain business must reduce operations or close. Hair salons, barbershops, personal care services, museums, zoos, aquariums, movie theaters, wineries, bars, family entertainment centers, cardrooms, limited services, live audience sports and amusement parks except those falling within critical infrastructure will not be allowed to operate.

See below for more industries that are impacted by the order.

UPDATE 12.12.2020 7 p.m. Residents in Monterey County will soon enter a new stay at home order taking effect on Sunday at 10 p.m.

Under the order, a myriad of businesses, restaurants and offices will have to adjust the way they operate. Health officials say the order is meant to reduce the number of cases of COVID-19 so that local hospitals will not be overrun.

KION will have the latest details once the order takes effect over the weekend. It is expected to last until mid-January.

PREVIOUS ARTICLE: Monterey County Health Officer Dr. Edward Moreno has signed a new stay at home order, placing new restrictions on the county to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Moreno said during a Monterey County Board of Supervisors meeting that the order will go into effect at 10 p.m. Sunday and stay in effect until 6 a.m. on Jan. 11. Moreno signed the order before bringing it to the county supervisors where they voted to approve a resolution in support of the order.

There are currently regional stay at home orders around California for areas with an ICU capacity lower than 15%, but Monterey County is part of the Bay Area region, which as a region has not yet reached the threshold.

Other bay area counties, including Santa Clara and San Francisco, have also issued stay at home orders before hitting the threshold.

Under stay at home orders, critical infrastructure, schools, non-urgent medical and dental care and child care and preschools are allowed to remain open with precautions.

The Monterey County Office of Education said elementary schools that have reopened after receiving a waiver may stay open and those granted waivers still planning to reopen may continue with their plans. Schools offering in-person instruction for small groups and those offering childcare services may continue to operate.

There will be changes to these sectors:

• Outdoor Recreational Facilities- Only allowed to operate outdoors to facilitate physically distanced health and wellness through outdoor exercise without food, drink or alcohol sales. Overnight campgrounds are not allowed to open.
• Retail- Operate indoors at 20% capacity, or 35% at standalone grocery stores, with somebody monitoring the entrance. The state also says special hours should be offered to seniors and other people with chronic conditions or compromised immune systems.
• Shopping Centers- Operate indoors at 20% capacity with somebody monitoring the entrance. The state also says special hours should be offered to seniors and other people with chronic conditions or compromised immune systems.
• Hotels and Lodging- Allowed to operate for COVID-19 mitigation and containment measures, treatment measures, accommodation for essential workers and housing solutions, including measures to protect the homeless.
• Restaurants- Open for take out or delivery only.
• Offices- Remote work only, except for those in critical infrastructure sectors when remote work is not possible.
• Places of Worship and Political Expression- Outdoors only.
• Entertainment Production- Allowed to operate without live audiences.

Hair salons, barbershops, personal care services, museums, zoos, aquariums, movie theaters, wineries, bars, family entertainment centers, cardrooms, limited services, live audience sports and amusement parks except those falling within critical infrastructure will not be allowed to operate.

Read the full order below.