What Is Essential?
Healthcare Volunteers, Grocery Store Workers Yes
Family Visits, Hotel Construction No
The New Shelter in Place order from the Santa Cruz County Health Officer extends the requirement to stay home except for essential activities through May 3, and further restricts movement to slow the spread of the coronavirus COVID-19.
The order, which builds on the March 16 order, halts construction of hotels, affecting at least four big projects near the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, which is closed, and prohibits a visit of friends or family unless it is for caregiving.
People are encouraged to walk outside, and walking at beaches and parks is allowed as long as those walking maintain social distancing, staying six feet away from anyone who is not a member of your household. Gatherings at homes, beaches and parks are not allowed; 10 people at most can attend a funeral.
The order prohibits retail storefronts for the general public to operate and allows restaurants to serve takeout food only.
Here is the full, unabridged order put forth March 31, 2010:
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Please read this Order carefully. Violation of or failure to comply with this Order is a misdemeanor punishable by fine, imprisonment, or both. (California Health and Safety Code § 120295, et seq.; Cal. Penal Code §§ 69, 148(a)(1))
UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF CALIFORNIA HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE SECTIONS 101040, 101085, AND 120175, THE HEALTH OFFICER OF THE COUNTY OF SANTA CRUZ (“HEALTH OFFICER”) ORDERS:
1) This Order supersedes the March 16, 2020 Order of the Health Officer directing all individuals to shelter in place (“Prior Shelter Order”). This Order clarifies, strengthens, and extends certain terms of the Prior Shelter Order to increase social distancing and reduce person-to-person contact in order to further slow transmission of Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (“COVID-19”). This Order shall become effective at 11:59 p.m. on March 31, 2020 and will continue to be in effect until 11:59 p.m. on May 3, 2020, or until it is extended, rescinded, superseded, or amended in writing by the Health Officer. All individuals, businesses and government agencies in the County of Santa Cruz (“County”) are required to follow the provisions of this Order.
2) The intent of this Order is to ensure that the maximum number of people shelter in their places of residence to the maximum extent feasible to slow the spread of COVID-19 and mitigate the impact on delivery of critical healthcare services to those in need. All provisions of this Order must be interpreted to effectuate this intent. Failure to comply with any of the provisions of this Order constitutes an imminent threat and menace to public health, constitutes a public nuisance, and is punishable by fine, imprisonment, or both.
3) All individuals currently living within the County (including all cities within the County) are ordered to shelter at their place of residence. They may leave their residence only for Essential Activities, Essential Governmental Functions, Essential Travel, to work for Essential Businesses, or to perform Basic Operations for non-essential businesses, all as defined in Section 12.
4) When people need to leave their place of residence for the limited purposes allowed in this Order, they must strictly comply with Social Distancing Requirements as defined in Section 12.j, except as expressly provided in this Order.
5) All businesses with a facility in the County, except Essential Businesses, as defined in Section 12.f, are required to cease all activities at facilities located within the County except Minimum Basic Operations, as defined in Section 12.g. For clarity, all businesses may continue operations consisting exclusively of owners, employees, volunteers, or contractors performing activities at their own residences (i.e., working from home). All Essential Businesses are strongly encouraged to remain open. But Essential Businesses are directed to maximize the number of employees who work from home. Businesses that include an Essential Business component at their facilities alongside non-essential components must, to the extent feasible, scale down their operations to the Essential Business component only; provided, however, that mixed retail businesses that are otherwise allowed to operate under this Order may continue to stock and sell non-essential products. Essential Businesses must follow industry-specific guidance issued by the Health Officer related to COVID-19. All Essential Businesses are encouraged to prepare, post, and implement a Social Distancing Protocol at each of their facilities at which they are maintaining operations, as reflected in Appendix A.
6) All public and private gatherings of any number of people occurring outside a single household or living unit are prohibited, except for the limited purposes expressly permitted in this Order. Nothing in this Order prohibits members of a single household or living unit from engaging in Essential Travel or Essential Activities together.
7) Except for the purpose of Essential Travel, as defined below in Section 12.h, all travel is prohibited, including but not limited to, travel on foot, bicycle, scooter, motorcycle, automobile, or public transit. People may use public transit only for purposes of performing Essential Activities or to travel to and from work to operate Essential Businesses, maintain Essential Governmental Functions, or to perform Minimum Basic Operations at non-essential businesses. Transit agencies and people riding on public transit should comply with Social Distancing Requirements, as defined in Section 12.j, to the greatest extent feasible. This Order allows travel into or out of the County to perform Essential Activities, operate Essential Businesses, maintain Essential Governmental Functions, or perform Minimum Basic Operations at nonessential businesses.
8) This Order is issued based on evidence of increasing occurrence of COVID-19 within the County and throughout the Bay Area, scientific evidence and best practices regarding the most effective approaches to slow the transmission of communicable diseases generally and COVID-19 specifically, and evidence that the age, condition, and health of a significant portion of the population of the County places it at risk for serious health complications, including death, from COVID-19. Due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 disease in the general public, which is now a pandemic according to the World Health Organization, there is a public health emergency throughout the County. Making the problem worse, some individuals who contract the virus causing the COVID-19 disease have no symptoms or have mild symptoms, which means they may not be aware they carry the virus and are transmitting it to others. Because even people without symptoms can transmit the infection, and because evidence shows the infection is easily spread, gatherings and other interpersonal interactions can result in preventable transmission of the virus. This public health emergency has substantially worsened since the County issued the Prior Shelter Order on March 16, 2020, with a significant escalation in the number of positive cases, hospitalizations, and deaths, and increasing strain on health care resources. At the same time, evidence suggests that the restrictions on mobility and social distancing requirements imposed by the Prior Shelter Order are slowing the rate of increase in community transmission and confirmed cases by limiting interactions among people, consistent with scientific evidence of the efficacy of similar measures in other parts of the country and world. The scientific evidence shows that at this stage of the emergency, it remains essential to continue to slow virus transmission as much as possible to protect the most vulnerable, to prevent the health care system from being overwhelmed, and to prevent deaths. Extension of the Prior Shelter Order and strengthening of its restrictions are necessary to further reduce the spread of the COVID-19 disease, preserving critical and limited healthcare capacity in the County and advancing toward a point in the public health emergency Order of the County Health Officer to Shelter in Place Page 2 of 8 where transmission can be controlled. This Order is necessary to slow the rate of spread, and the Health Officer will re-evaluate it as further data becomes available.
9) This Order is issued in accordance with, and incorporates by reference, the March 4, 2020 Proclamation of a State of Emergency issued by Governor Gavin Newsom, the March 4, 2020 Declaration of a Local Health Emergency Regarding Novel Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) issued by the Health Officer, the March 10, 2020 Resolution of the Board of Supervisors of the County of Santa Cruz Ratifying and Extending the Declaration of a Local Health Emergency, and the March 10, 2020 Resolution of the Board of Supervisors of the County of Santa Cruz Proclaiming a Local Emergency.
More Stringent
10) This Order is issued in light of evidence that the Prior Shelter Order has been generally effective in increasing social distancing, but that at this time additional restrictions are necessary to further mitigate the rate of transmission of COVID-19, to prevent the health care system from being overwhelmed, and prevent death. This Order comes after the release of substantial guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the California Department of Public Health, and other public health officials throughout the United States and around the world, including an increasing number of orders imposing similar social distancing requirements and mobility restrictions to combat the spread and harms of COVID-19. The Health Officer will continue to assess the quickly evolving situation and may modify or extend this Order, or issue additional Orders, related to COVID-19, as changing circumstances dictate.
11) This Order is also issued in light of the March 19, 2020 Order of the State Public Health Officer (the “State Shelter Order”), which set baseline statewide restrictions on non-residential business activities effective until further notice, as well as the Governor’s March 19, 2020 Executive Order N-33-20 directing California residents to follow the State Shelter Order. In certain respects, this Order adopts more stringent restrictions than the State Shelter Order. This is necessary to address the particular facts and circumstances in this County. Without this tailored set of restrictions that further reduces the number of interactions between persons, scientific evidence indicates that the public health crisis in the County will worsen to the point at which it may overtake available health care resources within the County and increase the death rate. Also, this Order enumerates additional restrictions on non-work-related travel not covered by the State Shelter Order, including limiting such travel to performance of Essential Travel or Essential Activities, and sets forth Social Distancing Requirements for all individuals in the County when engaged in activities outside their residences. Where a conflict exists between this Order and any State public health order related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the most restrictive provision controls.
12) Definitions and Exemptions.
A) For the purposes of this Order, individuals may leave their residence only to perform the following “Essential Activities.” But people at high risk of severe illness from COVID-19 and people who are sick are strongly urged to stay in their residence to the extent possible, except as necessary to seek or provide medical care or Essential Governmental Functions.
Essential Activities are:
i. To engage in activities or perform tasks important to their health and safety, or to the health and safety of their family or household members (including pets), such as, by way of example only and without limitation, obtaining medical supplies or medication, or visiting a health care professional.
ii. To obtain necessary services or supplies for themselves and their family or household members, or to deliver those services or supplies to others, such as, by way of example only and without limitation, canned food, dry goods, fresh fruits and vegetables, pet supply, fresh meats, fish, and poultry, and any other household consumer products, products needed to work from home, or products necessary to maintain the habitability, sanitation, and operation of residences.
iii. To engage in outdoor recreation activity, including, by way of example and without limitation, walking, hiking, bicycling, and running, in compliance with Social Distancing Requirements. Outdoor recreation activity at parks, beaches, and other open spaces must be in conformance with any restrictions on access and use established by the Health Officer, government, or other entity that manages such area to reduce crowding and risk of transmission of COVID-19. Such restrictions may include, but are not limited to, restricting the number of entrants, closing the area to vehicular access and parking, or closure to all public access.
Outdoor recreation activity is subject to the following further restrictions:
1. Sports or activities that include the use of shared equipment, such as basketball, tennis, pickleball, or disc golf may only be engaged in by members of the same household or living unit.
2. Use of shared facilities for recreational activities outside of residences, including, but not limited to, golf courses, rock parks, climbing walls, pools, spas, shooting and archery ranges, and gyms, is prohibited and those areas must be closed for recreational purposes.
3. Use of high-touch equipment in recreational areas including, but not limited to, playgrounds, and outdoor gym equipment is prohibited. Such equipment shall be closed to public access and reflected as such by posted signage.
iv. To perform work for an Essential Business or to otherwise carry out activities specifically permitted in this Order, including Minimum Basic Operations, as defined in this Section.
v. To provide necessary care for a family member or pet in another household who has no other source of care.
vi. To attend a funeral with no more than 10 individuals present.
vii. To move residences, but only if it is not possible to defer an already planned move, if the move is necessitated by safety, sanitation, or habitability reasons, or if the move is necessary to preserve access to shelter.
Healthcare Volunteering
B) For the purposes of this Order, individuals may leave their residence to work for, volunteer at, or obtain medically necessary services at “Healthcare Operations,” including, without limitation, hospitals, clinics, COVID-19 testing locations, dentists, pharmacies, blood banks and blood drives, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, other healthcare facilities, healthcare suppliers, home healthcare services providers, mental health providers, or any related and/or ancillary healthcare services. “Healthcare Operations” also includes veterinary care and all healthcare services provided to animals. This exemption for Healthcare Operations shall be construed broadly to avoid any interference with the delivery of necessary healthcare. “Healthcare Operations” excludes fitness and exercise gyms and similar facilities.
C) For the purposes of this Order, individuals may leave their residence to provide any services or perform any work necessary to the operation and maintenance of “Essential Infrastructure,” including airports, utilities (including water, sewer, gas, and electrical), oil refining, roads and highways, public transportation, solid waste facilities (including collection, removal, disposal, and processing facilities), cemeteries, mortuaries, crematoriums, and telecommunications systems (including the provision of essential global, national, and local infrastructure for internet, computing services, business infrastructure, communications, and web-based services).
D) For the purposes of this Order, all first responders, emergency management personnel, emergency dispatchers, court personnel, and law enforcement personnel, and others who need to perform essential services are categorically exempt from this Order to the extent they are performing those essential services. Further, nothing in this Order shall prohibit any individual from performing or accessing “Essential Governmental Functions,” as determined by the governmental entity performing those functions in the County.
E) For the purposes of this Order, a “business” includes any for-profit, non-profit, or educational entity, whether a corporate entity, organization, partnership or sole proprietorship, and regardless of the nature of the service, the function it performs, or its corporate or entity structure.
F) For the purposes of this Order, “Essential Businesses” are:
i. Healthcare Operations and businesses that operate, maintain, or repair Essential Infrastructure
ii. Grocery stores, certified farmers’ markets, farm and produce stands, supermarkets, food banks, convenience stores, and other establishments engaged in the retail sale of unprepared food, canned food, dry goods, non-alcoholic beverages, fresh fruits and vegetables, pet supply, fresh meats, fish, and poultry, as well as hygienic products and household consumer products necessary for personal hygiene or the habitability, sanitation, or operation of residences. The businesses included in this subparagraph (ii) include establishments that sell multiple categories of products provided that they sell a significant amount of essential products identified in this subparagraph, such as liquor stores that also sell a significant amount of food.
iii. Food cultivation, including farming, livestock, and fishing;
iv. Businesses that provide food, shelter, and social services, and other necessities of life for economically disadvantaged or otherwise needy individuals;
Construction Restrictions
v. Construction, but only of the types listed in this subparagraph below:
1. Projects immediately necessary to the maintenance, operation or repair of Essential Infrastructure;
2. Projects associated with Healthcare Operations, including creating or expanding Healthcare Operations;
3. Affordable housing that is or will be at least partially income-restricted, including multi-unit or mixed-use developments;
4. Public works projects if specifically designated as an Essential Governmental Function by the lead governmental agency;
5. Shelters and temporary housing, but not including hotels or motels;
6. Projects immediately necessary to provide critical non-commercial services to individuals experiencing homelessness, elderly persons, persons who are economically disadvantaged, and persons with special needs;
7. Construction necessary to ensure that existing construction sites that must be shut down under this Order are left in a safe and secure manner, but only to the extent necessary to do so; and
8. Construction or repair necessary to ensure that residences and buildings containing Essential Businesses are safe, sanitary, or habitable to the extent such construction or repair cannot reasonably be delayed;
vi. Newspapers, television, radio, and other media services;
vii. Gas stations and auto-supply, auto-repair (including, but not limited to, for cars, trucks, motorcycles and motorized scooters), and automotive dealerships, but only for the purpose of providing auto-supply and auto-repair services (and not, by way of example, car sales or car washes). This subparagraph (vii) does not restrict the on-line purchase of automobiles if they are delivered to a residence or Essential Business;
viii. Bicycle repair and supply shops;
ix. Banks and related financial institutions;
Virtual Real Estate
x. Service providers that enable residential transactions (including rentals, leases, and home sales), including, but not limited to, real estate agents, escrow agents, notaries, and title companies, provided that appointments and other residential viewings must only occur virtually or, if a virtual viewing is not feasible, by appointment with no more than two visitors at a time who reside within the same household or living unit and one individual showing the unit (except that in person visits are not allowed when the occupant is still residing in the residence);
xi. Hardware stores;
xii. Plumbers, electricians, exterminators, and other service providers who provide services that are necessary to maintaining the habitability, sanitation, and operation of residences and Essential Businesses;
xiii. Arborists, landscapers, gardeners, and similar service professionals necessary to maintain the habitability, sanitation, operation of businesses or residences, or the safety of residents, employees, or the public (such as fire safety or tree trimming to prevent a dangerous condition);
xiv. Businesses providing mailing and shipping services, including postal boxes;
xv. Educational institutions—including public and private K-12 schools, colleges, and universities—for purposes of facilitating remote learning or performing essential functions, provided that social distancing of six-feet per person is maintained to the greatest extent possible; xvi. Laundromats, drycleaners, and laundry service providers;
xvii. Restaurants and other facilities that prepare and serve food, but only for delivery or carry out. Schools and other entities that typically provide free food services to students or members of the public may continue to do so under this Order on the condition that the food is provided to students or members of the public on a pick-up and take-away, or delivery basis only. Schools and other entities that provide food services under this exemption shall not permit the food to be eaten at the site where it is provided, or at any other gathering site;
xviii. Funeral home providers, mortuaries, cemeteries, and crematoriums, to the extent necessary for the transport, preparation, or processing of bodies or remains;
No General Retail
xix. Businesses that supply other Essential Businesses with the support or supplies necessary to operate, but only to the extent that they support or supply these Essential Businesses. This exemption shall not be used as a basis for engaging in sales to the general public from retail storefronts;
xx. Businesses that have the primary function of shipping or delivering groceries, food, or other goods directly to residences or businesses. This exemption shall not be used to allow for manufacturing or assembly of non-essential products or for other functions besides those necessary to the delivery operation;
xxi. Airlines, taxis, rental car companies, rideshare services (including shared bicycles and scooters), and other private transportation providers providing transportation services necessary for Essential Activities and other purposes expressly authorized in this Order;
xxii. Home-based care for seniors, adults, children, and pets;
xxiii. Residential facilities and shelters for seniors, adults, and children;
xxiv. Professional services, such as legal, notary, or accounting services, when necessary to assist in compliance with non-elective, legally required activities;
xxv. Services to assist individuals in finding employment with Essential Businesses;
xxvi. Moving services that facilitate residential or commercial moves that are allowed under this Order;
xxvii. Childcare facilities providing services that enable owners, employees, volunteers, and contractors for Essential Businesses, Essential Governmental Functions, or Minimum Basic Operations to work as allowed under this Order. Children of owners, employees, volunteers, and contractors who are not exempt under this Order may not attend childcare facilities. To the extent possible, childcare facilities must operate under the following conditions:
1. Childcare must be carried out in stable groups of 12 or fewer (“stable” means that the same 12 or fewer children are in the same group each day).
2. Children shall not change from one group to another.
3. If more than one group of children is cared for at one facility, each group shall be in a separate room. Groups shall not mix with each other.
4. Childcare providers shall remain solely with one group of children.
Essential Travel
G) For the purposes of this Order, “Minimum Basic Operations” means the following activities for businesses, provided that owners, employees, and contractors comply with Social Distancing Requirements as defined this Section, to the extent possible, while carrying out such operations:
i. The minimum necessary activities to maintain and protect the value of the business’s inventory and facilities; ensure security, safety, and sanitation; process payroll and employee benefits; provide for the delivery of existing inventory directly to residences or businesses; and related functions.
ii. The minimum necessary activities to facilitate owners, employees, and contractors of the business being able to continue to work remotely from their residences, and to ensure that the business can deliver its service remotely.
iii. Any additional social distancing measures being implemented (see the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidance at: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/guidance-businessresponse.html).
H) For the purposes of this Order, “Essential Travel” means travel for any of the following purposes:
i. Travel related to the provision of or access to Essential Activities, Essential Governmental Functions, Essential Businesses, or Minimum Basic Operations.
ii. Travel to care for any elderly, minors, dependents, or persons with disabilities.
iii. Travel to or from educational institutions for purposes of receiving materials for remote learning, for receiving meals, and any other related services.
iv. Travel to return to a place of residence from outside the County.
v. Travel required by law enforcement or court order.
vi. Travel required for non-residents to return to their place of residence outside the County.
vii. Travel to manage after-death arrangements and burial.
viii. Travel to arrange for shelter or avoid homelessness.
ix. Travel to avoid domestic violence or child abuse.
x. Travel for parental custody arrangements.
xi. Travel to a place to temporarily reside in a residence or other facility to avoid potentially exposing others to COVID-19, such as a hotel or other facility provided by a governmental authority for such purposes.
I) For purposes of this Order, “residences” include hotels, motels, shared rental units and similar facilities. Residences also include living structures and outdoor spaces associated with those living structures, such as patios, porches, backyards, and front yards that are only accessible to a single family or household unit.
J) For purposes of this Order, “Social Distancing Requirements,” means:
i. Maintaining at least six-foot social distancing from individuals who are not part of the same household or living unit (except to the limited extent necessary to provide care, including childcare, adult or senior care, care to individuals with special needs, and patient care);
ii. Frequently washing hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or using hand sanitizer that is recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as effective in combatting COVID-19;
iii. Covering coughs and sneezes with a tissue or fabric or, if not possible, into the sleeve or elbow (but not into hands); and
iv. Avoiding all social interaction outside the household when sick with a fever or cough. 13. Government agencies and other entities operating shelters and other facilities that house or provide meals or other necessities of life for individuals experiencing homelessness should take appropriate steps to help ensure compliance with Social Distancing Requirements.
13) For additional guidance, government agencies should refer to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Interim Guidance Responding to Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) Among People Experiencing Unsheltered Homelessness. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/unsheltered-homelessness.html
14) Pursuant to Government Code sections 26602 and 41601 and Health and Safety Code section 101029, the Health Officer requests that the Sheriff and all chiefs of police in the County ensure compliance with and enforce this Order. The violation of any provision of this Order constitutes an imminent threat and menace to public health, constitutes a public nuisance, and is punishable by fine, imprisonment, or both.
15) Copies of this Order shall promptly be: (1) made available at the County offices at 701 Ocean St, Santa Cruz, CA 95060; (2) posted on the County Public Health Department website (www.santacruzhealthservices.org); and (3) provided to any member of the public requesting a copy of this Order.
16) If any provision of this Order or its application to any person or circumstance is held to be invalid, the remainder of the Order, including the application of such part or provision to other persons or circumstances, shall not be affected and shall continue in full force and effect. To this end, the provisions of this Order are severable.
IT IS SO ORDERED
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Gail Newel, MD
March 31, 2020
Health Officer of the County of Santa Cruz