Southern California's ICU bed capacity fell below 15% Friday and continued to drop Saturday prompting a stay-at-home order that will last three weeks for the region, according to the California Department of Public Health.
Friday night's update for Southern California's remaining ICU bed capacity was 13.1%. On Saturday, ICU bed capacity fell to 12.5%, triggering a 3-week stay-at-home order that will go into effect on Sunday at 11:59 p.m.
“For now, however, we've got to bear down, heed the orders and get through this new wave of cases,” said Supervisor Greg Cox.
The stay-at-home order will be lifted once the region’s ICU capacity projected out four weeks (from three weeks since the Stay-at-Home Order started) is above or equal to 15%, according to the CDPH. If lifted, individual counties will fall back into their assigned tiers based on case and positivity rates.
Governor Gavin Newsom introduced the plan on Thursday, and said all five of the state's regions -- Northern California, the San Francisco Bay Area, Greater Sacramento, the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California -- were weeks, if not days, from meeting the threshold.
The Southern California region includes Imperial, Inyo, Los Angeles, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties.
Here's how the rest of the regions looked for Saturday:
- Bay Area: 21.7%
- Greater Sacramento Region: 21.4%
- Northern California: 24.1%
- San Joaquin Valley: 8.6%
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What You Need to Know:
Once the stay-at-home order is in effect on Sunday at 11:59 p.m., the following will be closed:
- On-site dining at restaurants, wineries and breweries,
- Playgrounds
- Indoor recreational facilities
- Hair salons and barber shops
- Personal care services (including nail salons)
- Museums, zoos, aquariums
- Movie theaters, cardrooms and casinos, and family entertainment centers
Casinos have sovereign authority and aren't required to comply. NBC 7 has reached out to local casinos, and have yet to hear back.
Along with these new regulations, beginning Dec. 7, the San Diego County library will only offer door services Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Walk-up door service will be available per request with no appointment required. More information can be found here, or by calling your local branch.
The Parks and Recreation Department will keep parks open for day use but will close playgrounds and prohibit overnight camping.
Some establishments will be allowed to continue operations but with modifications, including:
- Retail stores and shopping centers can stay open indoors at 20% capacity.
- Hotels may remain open for critical infrastructure support, as can offices.
- Churches and places of worship can only hold outdoor services
- Professional sports can continue without live audiences, as can production of films and other entertainment.
- Critical Infrastructure
- Non-urgent medical and dental care
- Child care and pre-K
Schools serving K-12 students will not be affected by the order. Those open for classroom instruction now can remain so.
Click here for more information on restrictions and modifications.
“We have to fight through the fatigue that COVID is as real and deadly and dangerous as it was in March. We have to summon and find that sense of community that brought us together in the early days,” said Supervisor Nathan Fletcher.
San Diego County's individual remaining ICU bed capacity is at 23% as of Saturday, but it won't keep the stay-at-home order away because the state is making decisions based on regional data.
