SoCal ICU capacity drops below 15%, triggering stay-at-home order
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A new state stay-at-home order will go into effect in Southern California after the region's hospital ICU capacity dropped below 15%.
The California Department of Public Health reported on Friday night that Southern California's ICU capacity dropped to 13.1%, triggering the stay-at-home order.
The order does not take effect until Saturday at 12:59 p.m., and local officials will have 24 hours to carry out the restrictions.
The new order again closes a wide range of businesses and activities and urges people to stay at home whenever possible and always wear masks when outside the home.
RELATED: Gov. Newsom announces new, regional stay-at-home order in California
When the stay-at-home order is triggered, bars, wineries, nail salons, hair salons and barbershops, and other personal care services will need to close. Private gatherings of any size will be prohibited. Restaurants can stay open for takeout and delivery, but they have to shut down both indoor and outdoor dining.
Schools that were given a waiver to reopen will be allowed to stay open. Retail stores will be allowed to stay open at 20% capacity.
Additionally, all non-essential travel is "temporarily restricted statewide," regardless of what zone you live in. Hotels and motels are now restricted to only guests traveling for an "essential" reason.
Once a region drops to the 15% threshold and the order is triggered, that area must stay under the lockdown for at least three weeks. After that, state health officials will evaluate ICU capacity and transmission rates to project at least four weeks into the future to determine if the stay-at-home order can be lifted.
The Southern California region consists of 11 counties, including L.A., Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura and San Diego.
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Thursday a new, regional stay-at-home order as an "emergency brake" to curb the rampant spread of COVID-19 in California.
According to Newsom's office, if a region hits the 15% or lower threshold for ICU capacity, the following activities and sectors must close:
- Indoor and outdoor 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
- Live audience sports
- Amusement parks
Other sectors that will be allowed to stay open, when operating remotely is not possible, include:
- Critical Infrastructure
- Schools that are already open for in-person learning
- Non-urgent medical and dental care
- Child care and pre-K
