Governor Newsom Announces Stay-at-Home Order

Updated December 3, 2020

On November 19, 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued a limited Stay at Home Order. Below is an outline with the relevant details of the order as it relates to the construction industry.

  • The limited Stay at Home Order requires that non-essential work, movement, and gatherings stop between 10 PM and 5 AM in counties under Tier One (Purple) of California’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy.
  • The order will take effect at 10 PM Saturday, November 21. This is the same as the March stay at home order, but applied only between 10 PM and 5 AM and only in purple tier counties that are seeing the highest rates of positive cases and hospitalizations.
  • The Order does not alter the existing definitions of an Essential Workforce.  Our industry is covered under “Sector Index” number 13 of those definitions. Construction businesses employing essential workers are allowed to continue to operate during the stay at home order.
  • This order remains in effect until 5:00 am PST on December 21, 2020, and may be extended or revised as needed.

 

Governor Newsom Announces Regional Stay-at-Home Order

  • On December 3, 2020, Governor Newsom announced a “Regional Stay-at-Home Order” that will be triggered if the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) capacity drops below 15 percent in a given region. Regions will have 48 hours to implement the order when it is triggered; once the order is implemented, residents will be required to stay at home as much as possible and minimize mixing to reduce exposure.
  • The order does not alter the existing, construction relevant, definitions of an “Essential Workforce.”  Construction firms continue to be authorized to operate during a stay-at-home order. Our industry is covered under “Sector Index 13” of the essential workforce definitions.
  • While this is a statewide order, counties are authorized to have more restrictive criteria and different closures. Click here to check your county’s status.
  • Regions are as follows:
    Regions will remain in the Regional Stay-at-Home Order status for at least three weeks once triggered. Regions may come out of the stay-at-home order after three weeks if hospital ICU capacity projected four weeks outreaches 15 percent. Then, counties will return to their Blueprint for a Safer Economy tier determined by their case rate and test positivity. If the ICU capacity for a region is less than 15 percent after the three-week period, the ICU capacity will be assessed weekly to determine when the order can be lifted.
  • While this new order is similar to the March order, there are some variations as noted below.
    • Californians may access critical services and outdoor activities.
    • The following 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; casinos; limited services; live audience sports; amusement parks.

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