Sonoma County Adopts New Stay-at-Home Order to Combat COVID-19
By Lauren Mendelsohn
December 11, 2020
On December 3, 2020 California Governor Gavin Newson issued a new stay-at-home order in light of rising COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations. The new order divides the state up into five regions — Southern California, the San Joaquin Valley, Greater Sacramento, the Bay Area, and Northern California — and restrictions are triggered once a region’s ICU availability dips below a certain amount (15%). Restrictions would remain in place for at least three weeks.
On December 10, Sonoma County joined several other Bay Area counties in adopting this latest statewide stay-at-home order before it is automatically triggered. County Health Officer Dr. Sundari Mase issued a new Order to this effect which becomes effective on December 12 at 12:01AM.
Under the new regional stay-at-home order, the following businesses must close once a region’s ICU capacity falls below 15%:
- Hair salons and barbershops
- Personal care services
- Museums, zoos, and aquariums
- Movie theaters (except drive-in)
- Wineries, bars, breweries, and distilleries (with exception for production, manufacturing, distribution, and retail sale for off-site consumption)
- Family entertainment centers
- Cardrooms and satellite wagering
- Limited services
- Live audience sports
- Amusement parks
The following businesses can remain open with safety precautions to allow for social distancing and thorough disinfecting:
- Critical infrastructure (when remote option is not possible)
- Non-urgent medical and dental care
- Child care and pre-K providers
- Schools
The following businesses can remain open if they have 100% masking and social distancing in place, and also comply with additional restrictions:
- Outdoor recreation
- Retail (must limit to 20% capacity)
- Shopping centers
- Hotels and lodging
- Restaurants
- Offices
- Places of worship and political expression (outdoors)
- Entertainment production
In addition, all gatherings with people outside of one’s household are prohibited, and people are supposed to stay inside their homes unless they are engaging in (or traveling to or from) a permitted activity. Any businesses that are allowed to stay open must comply with the state’s industry guidance.
As we’ve discussed in previous blog post(s), cannabis businesses are considered “essential critical infrastructure workers” in California and also here within Sonoma County, a designation which has proven incredibly important this year as it has allowed these businesses to stay open, thereby providing jobs and economic activity during this otherwise economically challenging time. This includes not just cannabis farmers and dispensaries, but all types of businesses throughout the supply chain. As a result, many have come to see the cannabis industry as “recession-proof.”
This is a developing story; check with your local health department for the most up-to-date and specific information.
This information is provided as a public educational service and is not intended as legal advice. For specific questions regarding the impact of COVID-19 on cannabis businesses, please contact the Law Offices of Omar Figueroa at 707-829-0215 or info@omarfigueroa.com.