Effective immediately under order of Governor Newsom and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) on November 16, 2020, the County of Orange was moved into the Purple Tier, the state's most restrictive tier. Impacted industries and activities in Orange County will have 24 hours in which to comply with this action and make necessary modifications. The state made this directive to address the significant increase in the number of lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases and protect the state's health care system. The state's press release may be found here.
CDPH has a list of Activity and Business Tiers that are classified by the State to be open, closed or open with modifications with respect to each county on the Blueprint for a Safer Economy website. Orange County residents may search for a business or activity type by visiting https://covid19.ca.gov/safer-economy/ and typing in “Orange” in the County field, entering the business or activity type, and clicking, “GET LATEST STATUS.”
In response to the State’s action to place additional restrictions on Orange County related to COVID-19, the Orange County Board of Supervisors took immediate action and is launching the Orange County (OC) Restaurant Outdoor Dining Grant Program to support local restaurants providing outdoor dining as required by the State’s purple tier guidelines.
The OC Restaurant Outdoor Dining Grant Program will make funds immediately available to award $1,000 grants to 1,000 eligible restaurants through CARES Act federal funding. These urgently needed dollars are intended to help alleviate financial hardships local restaurants are facing following the State’s announcement of Orange County moving back to the purple tier. Awardees must use the funding solely to purchase outdoor heaters/warmers, lighting, or canopies/tents to provide for outdoor dining.
Restaurants are required to submit an application on the County’s website to be considered for the grant funding. Eligible applications will be funded on a first-come, first-served basis, and incomplete applications will be automatically disqualified.
All persons planning to host or participate in a private gathering, must comply with the requirements identified below and are strongly encouraged to follow the recommendations as well. Activities protected by the First Amendment may proceed under this guidance notwithstanding any guidance, orders, or directives to the contrary. Local health jurisdictions may be more restrictive than this guidance. Refer to your local guidance for what is allowed in your area.
1. Attendance
a) Gatherings that include more than 3 households are prohibited. This includes everyone present, including hosts and guests. Remember, the smaller the number of people, the safer.
b) Keep the households that you interact with stable over time. By spending time with the same people, risk of transmission is reduced. Participating in multiple gatherings with different households or groups is strongly discouraged.
c) The host should collect names of all attendees and contact information in case contact tracing is needed later.
2. Location: Gatherings must be outdoors for counties in the Purple Tier
a) Gatherings that occur outdoors are significantly safer than indoor gatherings. All gatherings must be held outside in the Purple Tier, and indoor gatherings are strongly discouraged in Red, Orange and Yellow Tiers. (If gathering indoors, increase fresh air circulation by opening windows or doors, as much as possible, especially in the rooms where people are gathering).
b) A gathering of no more than three households is permitted in a public park or other outdoor space, even if unrelated gatherings of other groups up to three households are also occurring in the same park or other outdoor space. If multiple such gatherings are occurring, mixing between groups gatherings is not allowed. Additionally, multiple gatherings of three households cannot be jointly organized or coordinated to occur in the same public park or other outdoor space at the same time – this would constitute a gathering exceeding the permitted household limits.
3. Don't Attend Gatherings If You Feel Sick
a) Anyone with any COVID-19-like symptoms (fever, cough, shortness of breath, chills, night sweats, sore throat, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, tiredness, muscle or body aches, headaches, confusion, or loss of sense of taste/smell), must stay home and not come into contact with anyone outside their household.
b) Anyone who develops COVID-19 within 48 hours after attending a gathering should notify the organizer of the gathering and/or other attendees as soon as possible regarding the potential exposure.
4. Individuals In A High-Risk Group Are Discouraged From Attending Any Gatherings
a) People at higher risk of severe illness or death from COVID-19 (such as older adults and people with chronic medical conditions) are strongly urged not to attend any gatherings, especially indoor gatherings.
b) If higher-risk individuals do attend any gatherings, they should do the following to decrease the risk for exposure:
- Spend as much time outside, or near outside air flow such as open windows or doors, as possible.
- Wear a respirator or surgical mask instead of a cloth mask, and minimize any time at the event with the mask off.
- Remain at least six feet, or ideally even farther away, from others outside their household as much as possible, especially when people are eating or drinking without face coverings.
- Spend a shorter time at the gathering than others to reduce potential exposure.
5. Practice Physical Distancing and Hand Hygiene at Gatherings
a) For any gatherings permitted under this guidance, the space must be large enough so that everyone at a gathering can maintain at least a 6-foot physical distance from others (not including their own household) at all times.
b) Seating must provide at least 6 feet of distance (in all directions—front-to-back and side-to-side) between different households.
c) Everyone at a gathering should frequently wash their hands with soap and water, or use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
d) Shared items should be minimized during a gathering. Food and beverages should be served by a person who washes or sanitizes their hands frequently, and who must wear a face covering. Self-serve items from communal containers should be minimized.
e) Remind all persons to sanitize hands before eating or drinking, and after touching shared items if shared items are unavoidable.
6. Wear a Face Covering to Keep COVID-19 From Spreading:
a) When gathering, face coverings must be worn in accordance with the CDPH Guidance on the Use of Face Coverings, unless an exemption is applicable.
b) People at gatherings are advised to limit removal of their face coverings to when they are actively eating or drinking. While face coverings are removed for this purpose, they should stay at least 6 feet away from everyone outside their own household, and put their face covering back on as soon as they are done with the activity.
c) Face coverings can also be removed to meet urgent medical needs (for example, to use an asthma inhaler, take medication, or if feeling light-headed).
7. Keep It Short
a) Gatherings should be two hours or less. The longer the duration, the risk of transmission increases.
For more information, go to CDPH link.