PRESS RELEASE
City of Long Beach
Public Information Office
411 W. Ocean Blvd,
Long Beach, CA 90802
12/5/2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEPress Release # 120520
Subject:
Official Statement by City of Long Beach Health and Human Services Department Regarding Regional Stay at Home Order Per the State Due to Continued COVID-19 Surge and Impacts on Intensive Care Unit Capacity
Contact:
City of Long Beach Joint Information Center
562.570.NEWS
jic@longbeach.gov
562.570.NEWS
jic@longbeach.gov
On December 3, 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom announced a new Regional Stay at Home Order that would go into effect 24 hours after a region’s ICU capacity falls below 15%. This morning, the State announced that the Southern California Region, of which Long Beach is a part, is now at 13.1%, surpassing the threshold.
Recently, Long Beach has seen alarming spikes in COVID-19 cases and local and area hospitalizations. As of yesterday, our average daily cases had increased by 318% compared with November 1 and area hospitalizations have increased by 400%. City data, Health Orders and testing information continue to be available on our COVID-19 website, which includes a robust data dashboard.
The City will be updating our local Health Order by tonight to align with the new requirements of the State Stay at Home Order.
As noted in a City statement earlier this week, the new Order will impact several sectors with temporary closures or capacity limits in order to limit the spread of the virus on a regional basis. The City is quickly working with our State partners to clearly identify impacted sectors and their corresponding requirements. These will be defined in the new local Order.
The City recognizes the importance of addressing this current COVID-19 surge and making sure our ICU capacity is maintained in order to save lives. At the same time, we also understand that this is difficult for many, and is having a staggering impact on small businesses. We urge Long Beach-based businesses to seek assistance by calling the City’s business support line, available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, at 562-570-4BIZ.
Staying home and avoiding contact with people outside your household remains the best way to protect yourself and others from the virus. Wear your face covering over your mouth and nose when you must step outside and be around others. Practice physical distancing and wash your hands frequently. Especially avoid being around others when you are sick or don’t feel well. The more we all do this, the more effective we will be in getting control of virus spread and to allow sectors to reopen.
Recently, Long Beach has seen alarming spikes in COVID-19 cases and local and area hospitalizations. As of yesterday, our average daily cases had increased by 318% compared with November 1 and area hospitalizations have increased by 400%. City data, Health Orders and testing information continue to be available on our COVID-19 website, which includes a robust data dashboard.
The City will be updating our local Health Order by tonight to align with the new requirements of the State Stay at Home Order.
As noted in a City statement earlier this week, the new Order will impact several sectors with temporary closures or capacity limits in order to limit the spread of the virus on a regional basis. The City is quickly working with our State partners to clearly identify impacted sectors and their corresponding requirements. These will be defined in the new local Order.
The City recognizes the importance of addressing this current COVID-19 surge and making sure our ICU capacity is maintained in order to save lives. At the same time, we also understand that this is difficult for many, and is having a staggering impact on small businesses. We urge Long Beach-based businesses to seek assistance by calling the City’s business support line, available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, at 562-570-4BIZ.
Staying home and avoiding contact with people outside your household remains the best way to protect yourself and others from the virus. Wear your face covering over your mouth and nose when you must step outside and be around others. Practice physical distancing and wash your hands frequently. Especially avoid being around others when you are sick or don’t feel well. The more we all do this, the more effective we will be in getting control of virus spread and to allow sectors to reopen.
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