Nevada County Health Officer Dr. Ken Cutler has issued a new Order that clarifies and complements the statewide Stay-at-Home Order in order to address local questions and issues. This Order is in effect until rescinded.
“Although it is somewhat reassuring that we’ve witnessed a slowing of newly diagnosed COVID-19 cases in Nevada County, with only limited testing available statewide and in Nevada County, we still don’t know exactly how widespread this disease is in our community,” said Dr. Ken Cutler. “It’s important that we don’t let down our guard and continue to follow the Stay-at-Home Order. We have received many questions and concerns about the implementation of a statewide order locally. It is our hope that this new order provides further clarification and guidance to everyone working to do the right thing.”
Like the statewide Stay-at-Home Order, this new order requires Nevada County residents to stay at home except for essential needs such as a trip to the grocery store or essential work, and requires that people continue to maintain six feet of physical distancing when using shared outdoor spaces work for activities like walking, running or biking.
The statewide Stay-at-Home Order remains in place. Projections for Nevada County from Covid Act Now show that if we continue to follow the Stay-at-Home Order, there is a “low-to-moderate probability of hospital overload in the next two months,” but with lax restrictions a rapid increase in hospitalizations is projected and we want to avert that potential overload. When comparing the Nevada County’s Stay-at-Home Order and the state public health order related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the most restrictive provision applies.
This order provides clarification including, but not limited to:
Essential Business
- Essential businesses include healthcare operations and essential infrastructure, agriculture, those proving social safety net services, media, gas stations and auto shops, banks, hardware stores, safety and sanitation services, removing hazardous vegetation for wildfire safety, mailing and shipping, schools facilitating distance learning functions, laundromats, restaurants offering food for delivery or takeout, internet services allowing people to work from home, businesses that support essential services, and others.
- All essential businesses are encouraged to stay open while implementing social distancing protocols, for example, while customers are standing in line.
Essential Activities
- Essential travel includes essential work; caring for elderly, minors, dependents or persons with disability; travel for non-resident or part-time resident to return to primary residence; travel required by court order, for immediate personal safety, or to avoid exposing to others to COVID-19.
Essential Infrastructure Activities
- Essential infrastructure is further clarified to include public works construction, construction of housing, airport operations, water, sewer, gas, electrical, oil refining, roads and highways, public transportation, solid waste collection and removal, internet, and telecommunications systems.
- Essential infrastructure activities must comply with physical distancing requirements to the extent possible.
Essential Services
- Healthcare operations and services are considered essential. This includes hospitals, clinics, dentists, pharmacies, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, other healthcare facilities, healthcare suppliers, home healthcare services providers, mental health providers and veterinary care.
- All first responders, emergency management personnel, emergency dispatchers, court personnel, and law enforcement personnel, and others who need to perform essential services.
Examples of Nonessential Activities/Services/Businesses
- Activities with shared outdoor spaces such as golf courses, tennis, pickleball, basketball, volleyball courts, climbing walls, pools, spas, shooting and archery ranges, and disc golf should be closed with signage.
- All travel, except for essential travel, is prohibited. Travel to short term lodging (or short-term rentals) in Nevada County is prohibited unless it is for essential work.
- All business facilities in Nevada County that are not considered essential should be closed to public traffic. Businesses may continue operations where employees or contractors are performing work from home.
More Information
For additional information on the statewide Stay-at-Home Order and recommendations to keep you and your family safer, please visit Nevada County’s coronavirus webpage at www.mynevadacounty.com/coronavirus
