The following letter from MCUCEOC is consistent with numerous news reports that the Stay-at-Home Order and curfew will remain in effect in many of the state’s counties as the situation is already dire with the worst expected to come in the next few weeks after Christmas and New Year’s travelers return home.

From the Mono County Unified Command Emergency Operations Center:

The EOC has drafted a Press Release in regards to the likely extension of the Regional Stay-At-Home order.

The Unified Command Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is advising Mono County residents and visitors that based on current adult Intensive Care Unit (ICU) capacity throughout the Southern California Healthcare Region it is very unlikely that the Regional Stay-At-Home Order (RSAH) will be lifted on Sunday, December 27 at midnight. California Department of Public Health (CDPH) officials stated this week that early modeling indicates that the Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley Regions will continue to have less than 15% adult ICU capacity over the coming four weeks. Upon extension, the status of the RSAH will be reviewed weekly, with updated projections from the CDPH.

During a Coronavirus briefing on Monday, Governor Gavin Newsom acknowledged that “It’s very likely, based on those current trends, that we’ll need to extend that Stay-at-Home Order for the Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley Regions.”

Dr. Tom Boo, Mono County Health Officer affirmed that the CDPH indicated that based on the escalating number of cases in the Southern California Region, the 12% hospitalization rate, the proportion of those that become critical and how long they stay in ICU on average, that it is very, very, unlikely that the current Order will be lifted.

As of Wednesday, December 23, the adult ICU capacity for the Southern California Region remained at 0.0%.

The extension of the Regional Stay-At-Home Order would mean that the Mono County Public Health Officer Order related to Lodging Facilities issued on December 5, 2020 would remain in effect. This Order clarifies the State Order prohibiting the use (renting or leasing) of short-term lodging for recreational or leisure purposes, and limits lodging to essential purposes (support of critical infrastructure sectors including pandemic response) for lodging facilities operating within the Town of
Mammoth Lakes and unincorporated Mono County, with a limited exception in the Regional Stay-At-Home Order applicable to travelers from out of state.

The EOC is advising short-term lodging operators in Mono County and the Town of Mammoth Lakes to proactively cancel any ‘recreation or leisure-based’ reservations from Monday, December 28, 2020 through at least January 4, 2021, at which time the Regional Stay-At-Home Order will be evaluated to remain for another week or to be lifted. The weekly review will continue until the Southern Region is no longer subject to the Regional Order, or Mono County is otherwise released from the coverage of that Order.

Lodging reservations during the RSAH are only permitted as identified in the December 5, 2020 Lodging Order. The Town has provided a Transient Rental Restriction Exemption Claim Form to facilitate lodging for essential workers. This form and the required supporting documentation is required to be submitted for approval to the Town Finance Department via email:
[email protected]. Please contact the Town of Mammoth Lakes Finance Department at (760) 965-3660 for additional information or for assistance completing this form.

“It is critical during this time, that we do absolutely everything we can to protect ourselves, our families, friends, and neighbors from becoming infected. We simply have to minimize the impact to the Mammoth Hospital and regional hospitals already severely impacted by the escalating surge of cases. That means wearing face masks in public, staying home when you’re sick, and regularly washing your hands. Most importantly, that means staying home as much as possible and avoid gathering with those outside your immediate household, even for the holidays,” stated Dr. Boo.

The Regional Stay-at-Home Order will be lifted when regional available adult ICU bed capacity is greater than or equal to 15% and is projected to remain above that level for the subsequent four weeks.

At the end of the Stay-at-Home period, each county within the Region will be assigned to a tier based on the Blueprint for a Safer Economy. Based on our recent case rates, Mono County would expect to be placed in the Purple Tier at such time that the RSAH Order is lifted.

In addition to the expected extension of the Regional Stay-At-Home Order for the Southern California Region, the limited Stay at Home Order or “curfew”, that expired on December 21, was extended. This order requires that all gatherings with members of other households and all activities conducted outside the residence, lodging, or temporary accommodation with members of other households cease
between 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m., except for those activities associated with the operation, maintenance, or usage of critical infrastructure or required by law. This Order does not apply to persons experiencing homelessness.

Details on the CDPH’s Regional Stay-at-Home Order can be accessed here:
https://covid19.ca.gov/stay-home-except-for-essential-needs/#regional-stay-home-order.

Additional information regarding the Blueprint for a Safer Economy is available online: https://covid19.ca.gov/roadmap-counties/

…or by visiting the Mono County COVID-19 Portal in English: MonoHealth.com/Coronavirus

or Mono County COVID-19 Portal in Spanish: https://monohealth.com/coronavirus-es.

Cover. Distance. Wash and #StaySafeToStayOpen!