Solano County To Implement State's Regional Stay-Home Order

SOLANO COUNTY, CA — Solano County will implement the state's mandated regional stay-at-home order starting at 11:59 p.m. Thursday, officials with the county said.

The order, "a protective measure to limit the spread of the coronavirus and support the most vulnerable community members and hospital frontline workers," was originally issued Dec. 3. It identifies five regions statewide and requires closure of all sectors, except for retail and essential services, in any region when the regional Intensive Care Unit — ICU — capacity of hospitals falls below 15 percent.

The requirements of the state's order supersede local health officer orders within any region when there is less than 15 percent ICU capacity.

The Bay Area's regional ICU capacity Wednesday was 12.9 percent, according to the state.

The order remains in effect for at least three weeks, and until the region's ICU capacity projected out four weeks is equal or greater than 15 percent.

"Solano County is experiencing high levels of transmission of COVID-19 at an alarming rate, and our hospitalizations are rising, both of which are indicators that ICU impacts are a given now, not just locally but regionally,” said Dr. Bela Matyas, Solano County health officer.

"This time of year poses a special challenge in preventing transmission of COVID-19," Matyas said. "While we may want to gather and celebrate with family and friends, such gatherings can cause spread of this devastating virus to our family and friends, affecting our loved ones and the community."

According to county officials, tracking of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the Bay Area Region by Solano County Public Health shows that COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are surging with several hundred new COVID-19 cases confirmed daily and ICU capacity declining across the Bay Area Region.

Pursuant to the regional order, the following sectors are required to close or remain closed for all operations, including:

• Indoor playgrounds
• Indoor recreational facilities
• Hair salons and barbershops
• Personal care services
• Museums, zoos, and aquariums
• Movie theaters
• Wineries
• Bars, breweries, and distilleries
• Family entertainment centers
• Cardrooms and satellite wagering
• Limited services as defined by the State:
• Live audience sports
• Amusement parks

The following sectors have additional modifications, in addition to 100 percent masking and physical distancing, including:

• Outdoor recreational facilities: Allow outdoor operation only without any food, drink, or alcohol sales. Additionally, overnight stays for recreational visits at campgrounds will not be permitted.

• Retail: Allow indoor operation at 20 percent capacity with entrance metering and no eating or drinking in the stores. Additionally, special hours should be instituted for seniors and others with chronic conditions or compromised immune systems.
• Shopping centers: Allow indoor operation at 20 percent capacity with entrance metering and no eating or drinking in the stores and all common areas closed. Additionally, special hours should be instituted for seniors and others with chronic conditions or compromised immune systems.
• Hotels and lodging: Allow to open for critical infrastructure support only.
• Restaurants: Allow only for takeout, pickup, or delivery.
• Offices: Allow remote only except for critical infrastructure sectors where remote working is not possible.
• Places of worship and political expression: Allow outdoor services only.

The following sectors can remain open with appropriate infectious disease preventive measures, including 100 percent masking and physical distancing, including:

• Critical infrastructure
• Non-urgent medical and dental care
• Outdoor playgrounds
• Childcare

The order is expected to remain in place for at least three weeks before re-evaluation by the State.
Four of five regions in California are now under the stay-home order: the Bay Area, Sacramento, Southern California, and San Joaquin Valley regions.

The Northern California region — Del Norte, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Mendocino, Modoc, Shasta, Siskiyou, Tehama and Trinity counties — had an ICU capacity of 28.1 percent Wednesday and was only the region not yet subject to the state's stay-home order.

In the Bay Area, several counties preemptively adopted the regional stay-home order and will continue to enforce it in the wake of Wednesday's news.

Read more about the State’s Stay Home Order.

Solano County residents with questions can call the county's coronavirus warmline at 707-784-8988. And for the most recent local COVID-19 health information, including the number of COVID-19 cases in Solano County, residents can go to the county's coronavirus web page.

"Getting out of this situation will depend on everybody to take serious actions to reduce the spread in our community – stay home as much as possible, leave only for essential activities, don’t gather outside of your household, use a face covering in public settings always, and maintain 6 ft physical distancing from others everywhere outside of your household," Dr. Matyas said. "Help keep yourself and others safe."