PRESS RELEASE

Long Beach, CA - As the Christmas and New Year’s holidays approach, the City of Long Beach is reminding all residents and visitors to comply with the Safer at Home Order to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 as cases continue to surge.

To further protect against the spread of COVID-19, amid an unprecedented increase in cases which continues to impact hospital capacity, the Department of Health and Human Services issued an updated Health Order focused on eliminating gatherings among people from separate households and encouraging people to stay home except as necessary to conduct essential activities. Gatherings of individuals from different households pose a significant risk of virus transmission to the community. The greater the number of people from different households in a gathering, the greater the risk of the spread of COVID-19.

People should maintain at least a six-foot distance from other individuals not in the same household, including when at beaches and parks; wear a face covering whenever they are in public; wash hands frequently and sanitize high-touch surfaces.

City Hall remains closed to the public until further notice. The City facilities and services listed below will adhere to the following schedule. 

All City facilities and services are open on Monday, Dec. 21, Tuesday, Dec. 22 and Wednesday, Dec. 23, except the following:

• El Dorado Nature Center (closed Mondays)
• Marina Offices closed Tuesday, Dec. 22 (designated furlough day)
• Animal Care Services (closed Monday and Tuesday)

Open on Thursday, Dec. 24 (designated furlough day) and Dec. 31 during regular business hours:

• City-run COVID-19 test sites and the Rapid Assessment Clinic (10 a.m to 1 p.m. only)
• Fire stations 
• Main Police Station Front Desk
• All City parks and trails
• Community parks facilities (for after school programs and senior meals only)
• Belmont Plaza Pool
• Lifeguard stations
• Animal Care Services
• Long Beach Airport
• Library pickup services and offices 
• Community park facilities open for after school programs and senior meals only
• Multi-Service Center for people experiencing homelessness
• Marina offices (Alamitos Bay Marina, Shoreline Marina will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. only)
• The WorkPlace, Youth Opportunity Center and Pacific Gateway Administrative offices
• Refuse and recycling collection (offices will be closed but refuse and recycling will be collected as usual)
• City Resource Line (562.570.INFO, option 5)
• Graffiti hotline (562.570.2773)
• Street sweeping
• Parking enforcement
• Clean team (562.570.2850) and street maintenance
• Towing and Lien Sales 
• City Prosecutor’s office
• Energy Resources field work
• Gas Services Dispatch (562.570.2410) open 24/7 for emergency calls
• Water/Sewer Dispatch (562.570.2390) open 24/7 for emergency calls
• Public safety services will continue to be available every day of the year

Closed on Thursday, Dec. 24 (designated furlough day):

• City Hall
• Health Department offices
• Energy Resources offices
• Water Department offices
• Park administration offices and park offices
• Long Beach Airport administrative offices
• Fire Department administrative office, fire prevention operations
• Marine Safety offices
• Housing Authority 
• Building and Safety Services, including inspections and permits
• Code Enforcement services, including the COVID-19 Venue Task Force 
• Citizen Police Complaint Commission
• Special Events and Filming
• Neighborhood Resource Center
• El Dorado Nature Center Museum
• Indoor swimming pools (King and Silverado)
• The COVID-19 information line for residents (562.570.INFO)
• COVID-19 Joint Information Center (562.570.NEWS)
• Gas, Water and Refuse Call Centers
• COVID-19 Business Hotline (562.570.4BIZ)

The City encourages all residents to continue to use City resources that are available online at longbeach.gov during furlough days. To help balance the City’s budget during this economic downturn, some services are closed on alternating Fridays. These furloughs affect many operations in all City Departments and help prevent significant service reductions to the community. Emergency public response such as police, fire, animal care, public works and utility emergency response remain unaffected by furloughs.

Open on Christmas Day (Friday, Dec. 25) and New Year’s Day (Friday, Jan. 1, 2021):

• Fire Stations and Lifeguard Stations
• All City parks and trails
• Long Beach Airport
• Main Police Station Front Desk
• Gas Services Dispatch (562.570.2140) open 24/7 for emergency calls
• Water/Sewer Dispatch (562.570.2390) open 24/7 for emergency calls 

Closed on Christmas Day (Friday, Dec. 25) and New Year’s Day (Friday, Jan. 1, 2021):

• City-run COVID-19 test sites and the Rapid Assessment Clinic
• Joint Information Center (562.570.NEWS), Community Hotline (562.570.INFO), Resource Hotline (562.570.INFO, option 5), Business Hotline (562.570.4BIZ)
• Animal Care Services and spcaLA*
• Billie Jean King Main Library, all branch libraries, including pickup services and Library offices (digital resources available 24/7)
• WorkPlace, Youth Opportunity Center and Pacific Gateway Administrative offices*
• City Hall*
• Citizen Police Complaint Commission
• Building and Safety Services, including inspections and permits
• Code Enforcement services, including the COVID-19 Venue Task Force 
• El Dorado Regional Park and El Dorado Nature Center (El Dorado Regional Park will be open on Jan. 1)
• Energy Resources offices
• Fire Headquarters, Support Services, Fire Prevention, & Operations, including Marine Safety Administration
• Marina offices (Alamitos Bay Marina, Shoreline Marina)*
• Health Department and Health facilities*
• Housing Authority*
• Long Beach Airport administration offices
• Neighborhood Resource Center*
• Park offices and community park facilities*
• Refuse and Recycling Collection (collection will occur on the following day)
• Special Events and Filming
• Street sweeping
• Swimming pools
• Towing and Lien Sales
• Water Department offices
• Gas, Water and Refuse Call Centers

*Indicates City facilities and services currently operating under modified operations until further notice as a result of COVID-19 physical distancing restrictions. 

City Hall
City Hall closed public access on March 18 and will remain closed until further notice. Residents are encouraged to utilize online services during this time. 

Street Sweeping
There will be no scheduled street sweeping or enforcement of street sweeping violations on Friday, Dec. 25 and Friday, Jan. 1. If a person has received a street sweeping citation and is experiencing COVID-19-related hardships, they may apply for an exemption by following the process to contest a citation. 

Parking Enforcement
Read your parking meter: Parking meters will be enforced on Friday, Dec. 25 and Friday, Jan. 1, unless the meter states "Exempt on Holidays." The days and hours of enforcement are displayed inside the meters. Red, white and blue curbs are always enforced, even on holidays. All meters will be enforced on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, and New Year’s Eve, Dec. 31.

Refuse/Recycling
Trash and Recycling collection services will not occur on Friday, Dec. 25, or Friday, Jan. 1. As a result, collection will be delayed one day for residents each of these weeks. Friday service will be collected on Saturday.

Towing and Lien Sales
The Towing Operations & Vehicle Storage Facility that is located at 3111 E. Willow St. between Temple Avenue and Redondo Avenue will be closed on Friday, Dec. 25, and Friday, Jan. 1. Normal business hours are:

• Mondays through Fridays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Closed Sundays and holidays

Vehicles and property are available for release outside of the hours listed above for an additional fee. More information can be found online.

Libraries
All Long Beach Public Libraries (LBPL) closed to the public on March 18 and will remain closed until further notice. Contactless pick-up, available at select locations, will not be available from Friday, Dec. 25 through Saturday, Dec. 26; and on Friday, Jan. 1, 2021. Library patrons are encouraged to make use of LBPL’s vast collection of digital resources, including the library catalog, downloads and databases, available 24/7. Library services will resume the following week and will be available from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. For assistance, people may call 562.570.7500 during those hours.

Media inquiries can be directed to the Joint Information Center at 562.570.NEWS (6397) or jic@longbeach.gov. 

For the latest information on COVID-19, with details on all that the City of Long Beach is doing to keep our residents safe, visit longbeach.gov/COVID19 and follow @LongBeachCity on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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