NORTH COAST, Calif. – On June 5, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued guidance for new pandemic Stage 3 allowable activities starting June 12, 2020, for counties with approved attestations and variance.

In response to these recent State changes, and due to the stable state of the pandemic in Mendocino County, Health Officer Dr. Noemi Doohan issued a new shelter-in-place, or SIP, order on Thursday, June 11, and effective June 12, at 3 p.m., allowing Mendocino County to move into Stage 3 of reopening.

The following activities and industries may open with strict adherence to state industry guidance including social distancing and health orders, such as wearing facial coverings in public:

– Campgrounds and RV parks – daily occupancy capped to 75 percent of sites (with other restrictions);
– Transient lodging (hotels, motels, vacation rentals) to be occupied by no more than one household including a maximum of 2 adults and their children with daily occupancy of hotels/motels capped to 75% rooms (with other restrictions);
– Tasting rooms (wineries, breweries, distilleries) and Bars (12 midnight closing);
– Gyms and fitness facilities;
– Movie theaters (limited to 25 percent occupancy or 100 persons per showing);
– Family entertainment centers;
– Museums, galleries, zoos and aquariums;
– Public pools with certain restrictions.

The order also clarifies that the state has allowed tanning beds to reopen as part of guidance for limited services and that childcare has updated guidance including day camps.

The health officer has also opened certain therapeutic services (except for those which are purely non-medical), including individual massage therapy, chiropractic and acupuncture care, reiterating that only one appointment may occupy a room at one time, and both provider and patient must wear a facial covering. Charter boats may also now operate pursuant to the health officer’s order.

The industry-specific restrictions and state guidance information can be found in the health order. Before businesses can reopen, they must comply with state and county guidelines, and file the Mendocino County self-certification form, developed by the county of Mendocino in collaboration with West Business Development Center, found at https://www.mendocinocountybusiness.org/ .

Additionally, all permissible higher risk businesses allowed in this new SIP order must file their safe business reopening plan for publication on the Mendocino County business website.

Due to the special risks for COVID-19 transmission associated with tourism, transient lodging operations and campgrounds have specific requirements that should be closely reviewed in the order, including the requirement to post contact information for a responsible on-site (or on-call) manager who will be available in the event of COVID-19 related issues.

Transient lodging operators must also have a detailed plan for accommodating guests in the provision of housing, food and basic essentials in the event a guest is determined by a medical professional to require isolation or quarantine for COVID-19.

Those lodging operators who previously self-certified for essential travel only must recertify complying with the new state and county guidelines for lodging.

Mendocino County’s revised SIP goes in effect on Friday, June 12, at 3 p.m. and will be in place until 3 p.m. on July 3.

The health order is posted online at https://www.mendocinocounty.org/community/novel-coronavirus/health-order . The summary of the major changes will be available online on June 12. The order is enforceable by imprisonment and/or fine thus we urge all residents and businesses to closely read the order and follow it.

More information on Gov. Newsom’s resilience roadmap and four-staged plan to reopen California, please visit https://covid19.ca.gov/roadmap/ .

For more information on the businesses/sectors that fall within the various stages of reopening, please view the Resilience Roadmap Business Sector Chart. The Mendocino County approved attestation is available to view on the California Department of Public Health’s Website.