On Monday, Jan. 25, the California Department of Public Health announced the state lifted restrictions surrounding California’s regional stay-at-home order, effective immediately.

In a statement, Director of the California Department of Public Health Dr. Tomás Aragón said the residents of California have worked to reduce the spread of COVID-19, an effort that helped save millions of lives.

“Californians heard the urgent message to stay home as much as possible and accepted that challenge to slow the surge and save lives,” Aragón said. “Together, we changed our activities, knowing our short-term sacrifices would lead to longer-term gains. COVID-19 is still here and still deadly, so our work is not over, but it’s important to recognize our collective actions saved lives and we are turning a critical corner.”

Citing an upward trend in the intensive care unit capacity, with the cancelation of the orders issued by California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Dec. 6, most counties in the state will re-enter the color-coded four-tier system.

Prior to Monday’s announcement, Lucy Dunn, President and CEO of the Irvine-based Orange County Business Council, said the guidelines for the state’s recently lifted stay-at-home order issued by Newsom on Dec. 6 were vague and some businesses, like restaurants, were forced to comply with orders that failed to show the science behind banning outdoor services, like outdoor dining, for example. 

“There’s no data to support these guidelines, and there comes a point where we need to do an assessment of risk. We’re starting to get vaccinated, our businesses understand the health protocols and they want to protect the employees and they want to protect their customers. We know we have to mask up and that takes care of a lot of it right there. Developing reasonable guidelines – so restaurants can do outdoor dining – there is no reason why outdoor dining can’t happen now,” Dunn said in an interview with Irvine Weekly. 

In a tweet Monday, the city of Irvine confirmed Orange County’s Purple Tier status within California’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy. All cities will now await instructions from the county health officer.

The tiers, “Widespread” – purple, “Substantial” – red, “Moderate” – orange and “Minimal” – yellow, are now the county’s guidelines for reopening.

The Purple Tier, which signifies Widespread COVID-19 risk, allows businesses to gradually reopen for outdoor services, like outdoor dining.

The state’s now defunct three-week regional stay-at-home order, aimed at reducing travel between 5:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., except for non-essential services, forced the closure of bars and wineries, along with hair salons, barbershops and personal services across the state.

However, due to the continuous surge of COVID-19 associated with Christmas and New Year’s holiday gatherings, the state’s regional stay at home order was extended through the New Year.

On Sunday, Jan. 24, the Orange County Health Agency reported 1,795 COVID-19 cases, with 13 COVID-19 related deaths. Hospitalizations have continued to decline, with a total of 1,732 COVID-19 patients hospitalized, including 467 in the ICU.

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