County order: Stay home

What many Solano residents have dreaded begins at midnight Thursday, when county officials carry out a state-mandated regional stay-at-home order, as hospital intensive care units near full capacity, forcing the closure of most economic sectors, except for retail and essential services, and severely limits holiday travel.

In a press release issued Wednesday, Solano County public health leaders said the protective measure, which will stay in effect at least through the first week of January, seeks to limit the spread of COVID-19 disease and support the most vulnerable community members and hospital frontline workers, even as the rollout of a vaccine begins.

In simple terms, everyone is being asked to stay home for the time being and not to gather with friends and relatives during the holidays, which can spread the virus and the disease it causes,

which principally affects the respiratory system but can cause damage to many other systems of the body.

In the prepared statement and in a brief telephone interview, Solano County Public Health Officer Dr. Bela T. Matyas said the state’s regional stay-athome order, originally issued on Dec. 3, identifies five regions statewide, one of which includes Solano, and requires the shutdown of all economic sectors, with notable exceptions, for any region when its hospital intensive care unit capacity 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.

Solano County is at 13 percent, reflecting the rate of the entire region, said Matyas, who in the release noted the 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.”

Echoing recent statements by state and national infectious disease experts, he discouraged travel, with the exception “of providing specific care for a family member,” during the holidays.

“This time of year poses a special challenge in pre

venting transmission of COVID-19,” added Matyas. “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.

“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 six-foot physical distancing from others everywhere outside of your household. Help keep yourself and others safe.”

While the end date for the state order is the first week in January, it will be lifted by the state only if the hospital ICU capacity falls back to an acceptable level, he said, adding, “And, if not, we’ll take it week by week.”

Matyas lamented the effect, both economic and psychological, the latest regional stay- at-home order will have and compared it to the one issued earlier in the year, during another spike in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths.

“We’ve been hearing many such stories,” from small-business owners especially, about how the previous shutdown affected them and are being forced to close again.

“The impact is significant,” said Matyas, citing

the all-but- certain rise in the jobless ranks and business owners losing income and threatening their livelihoods, perhaps forcing some to close permanently, just as the Christmas shopping season, a make- orbreak time for many merchants, gets into full swing.

“It’s not just Solano —— it’s throughout the state,” he said.

Yet Matyas, like other prominent health care leaders, expressed hope that increasing vaccination rates will mean will reduce COVID-19 cases, possibly beginning in January, “When we’ll see numbers returning to more normal levels.”

In the meantime, however, the tracking of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the Bay Area by Solano County Public Health shows that cases and hospitalizations are surging with several hundred new cases confirmed daily and ICU capacity declining across the region.

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

• Card rooms and satellite wagering

• Limited services as de

fined 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. Also, overnight stays for recreational visits at campgrounds are not permitted.

• Retail: Allow indoor operation at 20 percent capacity with entrance metering and no eating or drinking in the stores. Also, special hours should be in effect 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 put in effect 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 take-out, pick-up, 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

• Nonurgent medical and dental care

• Outdoor playgrounds

• Childcare

As a reminder, county health officials cited the common precautions to help stop the spread of germs by practicing good hand washing and health habits, including:

• Wash your hands often and thoroughly with soap and warm water.

• Cover your coughs and sneezes.

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth.

• Stay home when you are sick and keep your children home when they are sick.

• Wear a face covering and maintain at least a sixfoot distance from others in public settings.

For more information about COVID-19 in Solano County, telephone ( 707) 784-8988.

For more i n forma - tion about the State’s Stay Home Order, visit https:// covid19.ca.gov/stay-homeexcept-for-essentialneeds/#regional-stay-homeorder.

For the most recent local COVID-19 health information, including the number of COVID-19 cases in Solano County, visit the Solano County website at www. SolanoCounty.com/ COVID19 or on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SolanoCountyPH.