Mendocino Revised Shelter-In Place Orders Remove Tourist Restrictions, Allows Alcohol After 8:00 p.m., & More

Today, September 22, 2020, Health Officer Dr. Andy Coren issued a revised Shelter-In-Place (SIP) Order effective immediately. The most recent Health Officer SIP, continues the requirements for the new State tiered system, including the Widespread risk category (purple) Tier for Mendocino County, is significantly streamlined to avoid duplication with State orders, and modifies some local restrictions specific to transient lodging, campgrounds, service of alcohol at restaurants and tasting rooms, and “Stable Groups” (formerly “Stable Bubbles”). 

Major changes in the SIP Order included:

• Removal of nearly all local restrictions specific to the local tourism industry, except for the requirement that all operators of transient lodging and campgrounds in Mendocino County have an individual caretaker/manager available on-call 24 hours per day (and be onsite within one hour) to monitor and adhere to COVID-19 Industry Guidances and for COVID-19 related issues.
• The Stable Groups (formerly Stable Bubbles) has been modified to increase the Household Support Group from 6 to 12 individuals.
• The restriction requiring restaurants, wineries, and tasting rooms to discontinue serving alcohol at 8:00 p.m. has been removed.
• The Order allows all businesses that have been permitted to open according to Mendocino County’s assigned Tier may be open as long as they follow the applicable state guidance. For example on September 22, 2020, the State opened up nail services to operate indoors for Tier 1 (purple) counties. This order allows those businesses to begin operations immediately as long as they follow state guidance and complete the business reopening self-certification process at at www.mendocinocountybusiness.org.

Mendocino County’s revised SIP goes in effect Tuesday, September 22, 2020 upon issuance and will be effective until rescinded.

The new Health Order and summary of changes are posted online at https://www.mendocinocounty.org/community/novel-coronavirus/health-order.

On August 28, 2020, the California Department of Public Health, issued a new Statewide Public Health Officer Order, which became effective on Monday, August 31, 2020,  (https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/CDPH Document Library/COVID-19/8-28-20_Order-Plan-Reducing-COVID19-Adjusting-Permitted-Sectors-Signed.pdf),  creating a new framework for reopening, known as California’s Plan for Reducing COVID-19 and Adjusting Permitted Sector Activities to Keep Californians Health and Safe, (aka Blueprint for a Safer Economy), which relies on a set of risk-based Tiers associated with case rates per capita per day and a percent of positive COVID-19 tests. Pursuant to this framework, all Counties may reopen specified sectors according to their county’s Tier. Mendocino County has completed three weeks in the Widespread risk (purple) Tier, and continues this week in that category.

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For more information on California’s blueprint for reducing COVID-19 in the state with revised criteria for loosening and tightening restrictions on activities, please visit www.covid19.ca.gov.

For more on COVID-19:

www.mendocinocounty.org/COVID19

Call Center: (707) 472-2759 or email callcenter@mendocinocounty.org

The call center is open Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.