Coronavirus shutdown in California: What are the rules
Executive order allows certain ‘essential’ employees to work outside the home
The executive order issued Thursday night by California Gov. Gavin Newsom orders all California residents to stay home, except as needed for certain essential activities.
There was no end date on the order. Restrictions will be in place “until further notice,” it said.
The official order is displayed at the bottom of this article.
What remains open?
- Grocery stores, farmers markets, food banks, convenience stores
- Take-out and delivery restaurants
- Gas stations
- Pharmacies
- Laundromats/laundry services
- Banks
- Essential state and local government offices and services, including law enforcement
What’s closed?
- Dine-in restaurants
- Bars and nightclubs
- Entertainment venues
- Gyms and fitness centers
- Public events and gatherings
- Convention centers
What jobs are considered “essential”?
Besides the staffing of the businesses allowed to remain open, the order specifies activities needed “to maintain continuity of operation of the federal critical infrastructure sectors, critical government services, schools, childcare, and construction, including housing construction.”
The orders issued Monday by seven counties in the San Francisco Bay Area had a more comprehensive list of essential businesses, including hardware stores, shipping and mailing offices and taxis.
What are the 16 “critical infrastructure sectors”?
According to the Department of Homeland Security, they are:
- Chemical
- Commercial facilities
- Communications
- Critical manufacturing
- Dams
- Defense industrial base
- Emergency services
- Energy
- Financial service
- Food and agriculture
- Government facilities
- Health care and public health
- Information technology
- Nuclear reactors, materials and waste
- Transportation systems
- Water and wastewater systems
For what other reasons can residents leave their homes?
Other than essential work, the written order does not specify allowable activities outside the home. But the state’s COVID-19 website says Californians also may leave home to:
- Get food
- Care for a relative or friend
- Get necessary health care or critical medical supplies
In his announcement Thursday night, Newsom indicated outdoor recreation and exercise is also allowed — he mentioned dog-walking and “taking your kids outside” — as long as social distancing and other “common sense” preventive measures are followed.
