Gavin Newsom’s government is expected to lift local orders at the coronavirus home in California on Monday, a change that will allow restaurants and gyms in many counties to reopen outdoor eateries and services.
All provinces will return to the colored level system that assigns local risk levels based on the numbers and rates of positive test results for COVID-19 infections, according to sources informed by the governor’s office about the plan.
Most provinces will use the ‘widespread’ level of risk, which allows hair salons to offer limited services indoors, but restricts many other non-essential indoor business activities. The change is expected to take effect immediately following the announcement of Newsom on Monday.
It is far from clear whether the decision will lead to the relaxation of the home rules in Los Angeles County, which has become a national epicenter of the coronavirus with hospitals being overrun by patients. In less than one month, more than 5,000 people died from COVID-19 alone.
Yet the ban on the dining room outside was very controversial, and some elected officials and the restaurant industry fought in court and fell on it. Officials in some other provinces in Southern California have even more criticized the rules imposed by the state and encouraged Newsom to give them more local control.
The governor announced the local home orders on December 3 in an effort to reduce the hospital tax as the number of cases increases. While state data shows that hospital systems in Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley remain tense, Newsom’s government told officials Sunday that the models will project ICU capacity in those areas, exceeding 15% over the next four weeks – ‘ a threshold to lift the local closures.
Government officials never disclosed the full details of how the four-week ICU calculations were done. And although services were re-admitted to the Sacramento region on Dec. 13, daily reports of available intensive care beds never reached the 15% threshold deemed necessary to cancel the restrictions. ICU capacity in the Northern California region, which is not below home order, has remained above the state’s closing marks.
The Bay Area, which reported a capacity of 23.4%, remained below home order due to a four-week forecast of a decline in the availability of hospital beds. Southern California showed no ICU capacity and the San Joaquin Valley region reported 1.3% on Saturday, according to state data.
John Myers and Paloma Esquivel contributed to this report.