Ventura County To Reopen Beaches And Parks: ‘Our Residents Have Sacrificed So Much, And Our Local Hospitals Have Expanded Their Capacity”
Written by 991KBU on April 20, 2020
Compiled from the Ventura Star / Los Angeles Times
Ventura County on Saturday modified its stay-at-home order to permit some businesses to reopen.
Ventura County will also allow some gatherings to take place for the first time since the restrictions were issued to fight the spread of the coronavirus.
“We are positioned to focus on the road to reopening because our residents and businesses have sacrificed so much to comply with the public health orders and slow the spread of the virus in our community,” Mike Powers, the county’s executive officer, said in a statement. “Our current situation is further strengthened by the work of our local hospitals to expand their capacity.”
The county’s modified order, which is in place through May 15, allows some businesses that don’t serve the public to operate using no more than 10 employees. Gatherings of up to five people are now permitted, as are gatherings in vehicles.
Ventura County’s new-look stay-home order is less restrictive than its predecessor while at the same time mandating that all places that remain open—including grocery stores and supply stores—enforce strict social distancing protocol.
Released at 6:30 p.m. April 18, one day before the original order was due to sunset, the monthlong mandate allows meetups of up to five people (the old order banned all public and private gatherings), all types of outdoor activities (including hiking, golf and tennis) and drive-up gatherings, such as worship services, provided that participants remain in their vehicles with their windows closed.
On the economic front, the modified order permits the in-person sale of automobiles, a big boost for county auto dealers (and the cities that rely on their sales tax revenue), as well as all home-based businesses and businesses that have 10 or fewer employees that aren’t open to the public. All such businesses are required to institute policies that promote social distancing as much as possible.
It also allows golf courses, both public and private, to reopen provided they require golfers to follow a list of restrictions, including no motorized carts and no groups larger than four.
“We are positioned to focus on the road to reopening because our residents and businesses have sacrificed so much to comply with the public health orders and slow the spread of the virus in our community,” County CEO Mike Powers said in a statement. “Our current situation is further strengthened by the work of our local hospitals to expand their capacity.”
As such, the modified mandate explicitly says all persons 75 years or older, or 70 or older with an underlying health condition (co-morbidity), must stay home unless they need to buy groceries, seek healthcare or work in an essential government or health care role. They “must at all times follow social distancing requirements to the greatest extent feasible,” the order says.
The new order also states that long-term care facilities may not refuse to admit any person who has been diagnosed with or treated for COVID-19—on that basis—after that person has been discharged and approved for admittance by the Ventura County Public Health Department.
As with the prior order, nothing in the mandate prohibits members of a single household from doing essential activities together, whether in public or private.
In a statement, Levin said he would continue to monitor local data closely and wouldn’t rule out tightening the new order should the curve start to change.
“If we find that we are losing ground, we’ll have to make adjustments,” he said.
Not mentioned in the Ventura County order: masks. Some cities and counties have made wearing the face coverings a requirement of entering an essential business and some businesses are now requiring them to gain entry.
