Officials with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) ended the Regional Stay-at-Home Order on Monday, allowing the reopening of outdoor dining and personal care service businesses in affected regions, including Southern California.

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On Monday, the California stay-at-home order was lifted by state public health officials for all regions statewide, including the three regions that had still been under the order – San Joaquin Valley, Bay Area and Southern California.

State public health officials announced that the four-week Intensive Care Unit (ICU) capacity projections for these three regions are above 15%, the threshold that allows regions to exit the order.

The regional stay-at-home order was announced on Dec. 3 in an effort to reduce the expected strain on hospitals as case numbers began to surge over the holiday season.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger shared her support of the decision in a statement Monday, noting she understood the toll that forced closure has taken on the business community in the county, especially among the restaurant and personal care industries

“I support following the Governor’s recommended guidelines for Southern California, and reopening outdoor dining, personal care services and other industries that were previously closed by these orders,” said Barger. “A data-driven and pragmatic policy approach is essential to protecting public health, while balancing the devastating social, emotional and economic impacts of this virus.”

In Los Angeles County, the Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 to close outdoor dining in late November 2020, a decision which may now prevent L.A. eateries from immediately offering outdoor dining. A decision is expected at a Board of SUpervisors meeting later this week.

On Thursday, health officials announced that the 7-day average of new cases had decreased by 30 percent, and hospitalizations had also gone down 7 percent since last week.

According to California health officials, the Southern California Region has 0.0% staffed adult ICU capacity remaining as of Sunday. It first fell below 15% on Dec. 5, and hit 0% by Dec.  18.

As recently as Saturday, January 25, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health officials had stated that the county’s ICU capacity and healthworkers remained “overwhelmed.”

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State officials announced that while they were observing “positive signs” that the spread of the virus had slowed across California, residents and visitors should still use caution as the pandemic was still ongoing.

“It is still critical that Californians continue to wear masks when they leave their homes, maintain physical distance of at least 6 feet, wash their hands frequently, avoid gatherings and mixing with other households, follow all state and local health department guidance and get the vaccine when it’s their turn,” read a Monday press release.

The state, in collaboration with local health departments and health care facilities statewide, took a long list of actions to support California’s hospitals and slow the surge in cases and hospitalizations, officials said.

• The Regional Stay at Home Order urged Californians to stay home except for essential activities, which helped lower disease transmission levels and reduce burden on the hospital system.
• California deployed more than 4,100 medical professionals to facilities across the state to ease the burden on frontline health care workers.
• The state provided assistance within hospitals in the form of personal protective equipment, ventilators and help with oxygen supply.
• California also helped hospitals expand their capacity by opening 16 alternate care sites, lower-acuity facilities where COVID-19 patients get a bridge from hospital to home as they are recovering.
• Public health leaders implemented a statewide order to make it easier to transfer patients from over-crowded hospitals to those with more space and staff.
• The administration of vaccines to health care workers has meant that fewer health care workers are falling ill to the virus, which helps keep staffing levels more stable.

“Californians heard the urgent message to stay home as much as possible and accepted that challenge to slow the surge and save lives,” said Dr. Tomás Aragón, CDPH director and state public health officer. “Together, we changed our activities knowing our short-term sacrifices would lead to longer-term gains. COVID-19 is still here and still deadly, so our work is not over, but it’s important to recognize our collective actions saved lives and we are turning a critical corner.”

Nearly all the counties exiting the Regional Stay at Home Order Monday are in the Purple or widespread (most restrictive) tier, including Los Angeles County.

Services and activities, such as outdoor dining and personal services, may resume immediately with required modifications, subject to any additional restrictions required by local jurisdictions.

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