State lifts stay-at-home orders for all counties

With the state easing out of the post-holiday COVID-19 spike, and ICU capacity increasing throughout the state, including in San Bernardino County, Gov. Gavin Newsom today lifted the strict regional stay-at-home orders issued in December — moving the County back into the previous tier system. San Bernardino County remains in the Purple Tier.

As a result, local restaurants will be allowed to open for outdoor service, personal care services (such as hair and nail salons) may reopen with modifications, retailers may allow more customers into their stores and campgrounds may resume operations, among other changes.

“This is great news for businesses and county residents who have been struggling financially since March 2020, but most especially since December when the State imposed the Regional Stay-at-Home Order,” said Board of Supervisors Chairman Curt Hagman. “This is a huge step forward in our recovery. With the vaccine being rolled out throughout the state, I am cautiously optimistic about the year ahead and encourage residents to get vaccinated as soon as they are able.”

Currently, the county’s adjusted daily case rate is 61.2 per 100,000 residents. It must be at 7 or less before the county can progress to the red tier. The county gets credit toward lowering the case rate by exceeding the statewide median testing rate, so testing is still vital not just for protecting residents from illness but for reopening our economy and getting residents back to work.

The state lifted the stay-at-home order when it calculated the four-week ICU capacity projection for the Southern California Region at 30.8%, which is well above the 15% that triggered the order. ICU capacity in the county has stood at zero for several weeks as holiday gatherings caused case rates and hospitalizations to soar at record levels. Regional ICU capacity has improved to 14.4%.

As a result of the announcement, the following guidelines will be implemented immediately:

• In-person gatherings, which were previously prohibited, are now permitted for up to members of three households.
• Restaurants, which previously were limited to take-out and delivery, may now provide outdoor dining. (Limited indoor dining remains prohibited until the County reaches the red tier.)
• Hair and nail salons, barbershops, and other personal services may now reopen with limited capacity.
• Grocery stores may expand capacity to 50%, compared to 35% under the prior restrictions. Other retailers may increase capacity from 20% to 25% capacity.
• Hotels and other short-term rental lodging can serve non-essential patrons with restrictions.
• Museums and zoos can resume outside operations.

A complete list of business and recreation allowances can be found at www.covid19.ca.gov/safer-economy.