REGIONAL STAY AT Home Order EXTENDED

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, all of us have had to make difficult decisions about how we live our lives and help reduce the spread of the virus across our communities. During the holiday season, a time which we all look forward to spending with family and friends, we are again faced with difficult decisions about doing our part to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe.

The City of Azusa is committed to public safety and keeping the community informed. Please continue to follow public health experts' recommendations to avoid spreading COVID-19 including frequent handwashing, wearing a face covering, keeping a safe distance from one another, and staying home except as necessary to conduct activities specifically permitted in the recent State and County Orders. For up-to-date Department of Public Health guidance, more information is available here. To stay informed on City-specific updates, residents may also tune in to the City Manager Update provided at the beginning of each City Council meeting and/or follow the City on Facebook, Twitter and/or Instagram.

 Regional Stay at Home Order Extended: The State of California announced Tuesday that the Regional Stay at Home Order for Southern California, which includes Los Angeles County and Azusa, will be extended indefinitely because hospital intensive care unit (ICU) capacity in the region is below the threshold of 15% -- Southern California hospital ICU capacity remains at 0%. The L.A. County Department of Public Health on Tuesday also extended the Temporary Health Officer Order (effective 11:59PM on December 30, 2020), which will remain in effect for as long as the State Public Health Officer's Regional Stay At Home Order remains in effect in the Southern California region. Under these orders, all residents are required to avoid gatherings and to only travel outside the home for essential services. Restaurants continue to serve patrons via delivery and carry-out and retail remains open with limited capacity.

Los Angeles County Update (As of 12/30/20): The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) has surpassed the tragic milestone of 10,000 confirmed COVID-19 deaths Read News Release. This devastating milestone comes as New Year's Eve approaches. To date, Public Health identified 756,116 positive cases of COVID-19 across all areas of L.A. County and a total of 10,056 deaths. Two months ago, L.A. County experienced around 1,200 cases a day. This past week, L.A. County has averaged 13,000 new cases each day; this represents a tenfold increase in daily cases in just two months – a number that is staggering.

Celebrate New Year’s Eve Responsibly: With Southern California hospitals at or near capacity, public health experts are urging residents to celebrate New Year’s Eve at home this year. Private gatherings continue to be a source of COVID-19 infections, and everyone is asked to celebrate only with the members of your immediate household or to host a virtual celebration to limit the spread of COVID-19.  

Small Business Grants Applications Opened: California has announced a package of assistance for small businesses impacted by COVID-19, including $500 million in grants. Grant applications will be accepted December 30, 2020, through January 8, 2021. More Information Available Here.

COVID-19 Vaccinations Coming to Long-Term Care Facilities: Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday announced that California has opted in to the federal COVID-19 Pharmacy Partnership Read Governor’s News Release. At no cost to the state or local government, CVS and Walgreens will administer the Pfizer vaccine to residents and staff in long-term care facilities. Starting on 12/30/20, CVS and Walgreens will start with nursing homes, which will take an estimated 3-4 weeks, and then vaccinate staff and residents in assisted living, residential care and other long-term care facilities. The program will enable counties to leverage CVS and Walgreens pharmacy staff to administer the vaccine more broadly with pharmacy staff going directly to care facilities. Approximately 499 nursing homes will be provided vaccines by CVS and 357 by Walgreens. The vaccines will be administered by pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and nurses. Pharmacy technicians are participating under a recent waiver by the Board of Pharmacy that requires appropriate supervision under California law and specialized training.

Governor Launches State Safe Schools for All Plan: Governor Gavin Newsom on Wednesday 12/30/20 released the State Safe Schools for All Plan, California’s framework to support schools to continue operating safely in-person and to expand the number of schools safely resuming in-person instruction. Informed by growing evidence of the decreased risks and increased benefits of in-person instruction (Read More) – especially for our youngest students – Governor Newsom is advancing a strategy that will help create safe learning environments for students and safe workplaces for educators and other school staff. The Plan was developed in partnership with the Legislature, and the Governor will propose an early action package to ensure schools have the resources necessary to successfully implement key safety precautions and mitigation measures. Components of the Plan will be launched in the coming weeks. 

Please visit our COVID-19 information page for the latest updates.

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