Category Archives: Coronavirus

Coronavirus, Covid 19, Solano County CA

Solano County Alert Email: Shelter At Home Order

[EDITOR’S NOTE: The County’s email alert differs from the official “Stay At Home” Order.  The County’s official order begins with a lengthy legal summary, some exceptions, and a warning that “Violation of or failure to comply with this Order is a misdemeanor punishable by fine, imprisonment, or both.”  – R.S.]

Solano County Email Alert: “Shelter At Home Order,” March 18, 2020, 5:25 PM

This is an important message from Alert Solano

Solano County issues shelter at home health order and directive to clarify social distancing and self-isolation measures
March 18, 2020

SOLANO COUNTY – Solano County has issued a countywide Shelter at Home Health Order and Directive to continue protecting the health and safety of our community, clarify directive guidance in accordance with the Governor, and ensure consistent compliance across the County with social distancing and self-isolation measures. These mitigation measures are disruptive, but critical to curb the growing number of cases resulting from community spread, particularly given that most those infected show mild symptoms or no symptoms at all.

Effective immediately and will continue to be in effect until 11:59 p.m. on April 7, 2020, or until it is extended, rescinded, superseded, or amended in writing by the Solano County Public Health Officer, the Order directs the public to implement the following:

– Gatherings of any size that do not allow for participants to maintain six feet of distance apart are strongly prohibited unless they are for “essential activities” as defined in the Order.

– Establishments serving alcohol such as bars, wineries, nightclubs and breweries must close. Movie theaters must also close.

– Establishments serving food may remain open with takeout and delivery options only. Dine-in operations must cease.

– All health clubs, tanning facilities, gyms and spas must close.

– Prohibits non-essential travel.

– Employers are required to ensure compliance with social distancing guidelines and should implement teleworking where appropriate and feasible. Only employees performing essential duties that are not able to be done remotely should physically come to work.

– Employers that require a doctor’s note for a leave of absence due to illness must suspend those policies. Employers are strongly encouraged to allow employees flexible use of paid time off/sick leave.

– All people with fever, cough, or other respiratory symptoms should stay home until seven days after symptom onset. Self-management of these symptoms is encouraged, but if difficulty breathing and lethargy develop, or symptoms suddenly become worse, they should contact their healthcare provider or urgent care center immediately. Calling ahead is strongly encouraged.

– Childcare centers may remain open if they strictly follow social distancing protocols in accordance with the guidance distributed and posted on the Solano Public Health website.

– Nonessential personnel are prohibited from entering hospitals and long-term care facilities, including patient visitation. All essential personnel displaying symptoms of COVID-19 should self-isolate until seven days after symptom onset, and hospitals are urged to delay elective procedures.

– Populations with higher risk of complications from infection should stay home and away from all gatherings involving people outside of their immediate families. These populations include: people with chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes cancer, heart disease, lung disease, immuno-compromising conditions and those over 65 years of age. Pregnant individuals should also strongly consider self-isolating to the extent possible.

– All Solano County Residents, regardless of risk-level, should stay home to the extent possible, and continue practicing universal precautions of handwashing for at least 20 seconds, disinfecting commonly used surfaces, and covering coughs or sneezes with their elbow or tissue instead of hands.

“We are taking this health crisis seriously and trying to protect our community while still ensuring that the essential parts of our County can function and attempting to lessen the substantial burden placed on workers and businesses,” says Dr. Bela Matyas, M.D., M.P.H., County Public Health Officer.  “We trust our community to adhere to these directives, and we stress the importance of working together to get this through this difficult time.”

This is a rapidly evolving situation. For the latest updates about COVID-19, please visit cdc.gov/covid19. Solano Public Health will continue to provide up-to-date information about COVID-19 through their website at solanocounty.com/publichealth and on Facebook @SolanoCountyPH.

Instructions:

Effective immediately: Solano County Public Health has issued a shelter at home order for all residents. Visit https://bit.ly/2QqsC6L

For full details, view this message on the web.
Sent by Solano County, CA
530 Clay St, Fairfield, CA 94533

 

Benicia City Council, Coronavirus, Covid 19

Benicia City Council adds “virtual meeting” Thurs 3/19, public can watch but cannot attend

UPDATE: An emergency “virtual” Benicia City Council meeting was held on March 19.  The procedings are available in audio only on the City’s website.

See below for how you can participate

The City of Benicia cancelled its regular meeting on Tuesday, March 17, and then called a special meeting for Thursday evening, March 19.  When the agenda was first made available to the public, it seemed that “virtual” attendance was optional, and that the Council chambers would be open for Council members and the public.  But a revised agenda makes clear that the meeting will not take place in any physical space:

BENICIA CITY COUNCIL
CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING AGENDA
REVISED AGENDA
Benicia City Hall, 250 East L Street
March 19, 2020 6:00 PM
Coronavirus (Covid-19) Advisory Notice

The Solano County Public Health Department has advised that non-essential gatherings should be canceled, postponed, or done remotely. Additional information is available at solanocounty.com/depts/ph/ncov.asp.

This meeting is necessary so that the City can continue to conduct its business and is considered an essential gathering. Consistent with Executive Orders No. 25-20 and No. 29-20 from the Executive
Department of the State of California, the meeting will not be physically open to the public. Members of the City Council and staff will participate in this meeting via teleconferencing as permitted under Executive Orders No. 25-20 and No. 29-20.

As always, the public may submit public comments in advance and may view the meeting from home.

Below is information on how to watch the meeting via cable and/or live stream and how to send in public comments that will be part of the public record.

How to Watch the Meeting:
1) Cable T.V. Broadcast on Channel 27
2) Livestream online at www.ci.benicia.ca.us/agendas.

How to Submit Public Comments:
Comments submitted by 3:00 p.m. prior to the commencement of the meeting will be presented to the City Council and included in the public record for the meeting. Comments can be submitted by email to lwolfe@ci.benicia.ca.us.

…THE ITEMIZED AGENDA FOLLOWS, HERE…

Coronavirus, Covid 19, Solano County CA, Solano County Health Department

‘Stay at Home’ declaration coming for Solano County

UPDATE: Just before 5:30pm on Wednesday, March 18, Solano County issued a formal “Stay at home” order. See

Fairfield Daily Republic, March 18, 2020 at 3:24 pm

FAIRFIELD — Solano County is expected to release “stay at home” guidelines today.

Mayor Harry Price confirmed he had been informed by a county official about the upcoming announcement, and Suisun City Mayor Lori Wilson, on a conference call with local ministers and nonprofits, said it will essentially follow the same kind of guidelines that are found in the “shelter in place” health orders issued previously by seven Bay Area counties.

Solano and Napa counties were not part of that coordinated effort, a point of frustration for Supervisor Erin Hannigan.

Napa County on Wednesday afternoon announced its “stay at home” order to begin at noon on Friday and continue through April 7. The release came minutes after the conclusion of a 3:15 press conference on the matter.

It was not immediately clear when Solano’s order was going to be released. Details were not available.

Hannigan said having Solano and Napa left out of the action taken by the other counties left the impression that Solano County was not addressing the Covid-19 concerns as thoroughly as the other counties.

“And that is not the case,” Hannigan said.

Essentially what the Solano County guideline will mean, Hannigan said, is that anyone who does not have “an essential” reason for leaving their homes – including work, grocery shopping, picking up food from a restaurant, health appointments and the like – should instead stay at home.

That is particularly true for those segments of the population that are at a higher risk from the novel coronavirus, such as those 65 or older and those with underlying health issues.

“People have to hear there is a deep concern and there is a deep concern,” Hannigan said.

If residents do have to leave their homes, officials said they should practice the 6-foot social distance practices.

Coronavirus, Covid 19, Solano County CA, Solano County Health Department

Solano County issues guidelines for childcare workers

COVID-19 Guidance for Childcare Providers

SOLANO PUBLIC HEALTH | MARCH 18, 2020

To limit the spread of COVID-19 disease, contact with infected or exposed individuals must be reduced as much as possible. Conventional school classes have been dismissed, but the Solano Public Health recognizes the need for continuity of childcare to ensure that essential services and wage-earning activities can continue.

Solano Public Health recommends the following guidance for childcare providers, effective immediately:

1. Childcare ideally should be provided in the child’s home, by non-elderly household members not living in the household or ill individuals.

2. Group childcare may be used for children for whom in-home care by household members is not available. It should be prioritized for use by essential service employees and those who would otherwise not be able to work.

3. Group childcare should:
a. Be in stable groups of 10 or fewer children (“stable” means that the same 10 or fewer children are in the same group each day). Children should not change from one group to another.
b. If more than 1 group of children is cared for at one facility, each group should be in a separate room. Groups should not mix with each other. For example: meals, playground time, and toileting activities should be separate for each group.
c. Childcare provider(s) should also remain solely with one group of children (providers should not move from group to group or room to room).

4. Infection control measures:
a. Screen children and staff for cold or flu-like symptoms or signs of a respiratory illness (i.e., fever, cough, shortness of breath) daily, before entering childcare.
b. Exclude ill children and employees (those with symptoms specified above) from the facility.
c. Children or staff who develop symptoms at childcare should be sent home immediately.
d. Ill children or staff should not return to work or childcare until they are well.
e. Children and staff should wash hands with soap and water for minimum of 20 seconds or use alcoholbased hand sanitizer (if hands are not visibly dirty) before and after eating, drinking, touching eyes/nose/mouth, toileting or diapering, and physical contact with each other.
f. Clean high-contact areas and surfaces frequently, using 10% bleach solution or EPA-approved disinfectant against novel human Coronaviruses: counters, toys, telephones, doorknobs, etc.
g. Staff and children should practice good respiratory hygiene including coughing/sneezing into the sleeve and covering coughs.