The California stay-at-home orders have been automatically extended. The previous order began December 6 and expired December 27. The order is based on intensive care unit (ICU) beds available in five regions defined by California. As of this writing, California has not issued a formal statement regarding the extension.
The original order language indicated that the stay-at-home order would last at least three weeks. The order will only be lifted when ICU bed availability reaches at least 15%.
Once triggered, these orders will remain in effect for at least 3 weeks. After that period, they will be lifted when a region’s projected ICU capacity meets or exceeds 15%. This will be assessed on a weekly basis after the initial 3 week period.
California Regional Stay Home Order Issued December 3, 2020
While not unexpected, the stay-at-home order extension is yet another blow to Disneyland, Universal Studios Hollywood, and other theme parks in California. The stay home order closed table service dining locations at Disney California Adventure, sending 350 Cast Members back to furlough.
The City of Anaheim predicted that the stay-at-home order would be extended, issuing this tweet on December 27.
Anaheim officials were unable to provide specifics, aside from the fact that regional ICU capacity is at zero.
We are awaiting extension of the Dec. 6 regional stay home order covering Anaheim and much of our state. The current order runs through Dec. 27 and is set to be extended with regional ICU capacity at 0. We don’t yet know exactly when or for how long.
@City_of_Anaheim on Twitter
One hour after the initial tweet, Anaheim reported that COVID-19 cases are surging in the area. More than 25% of daily COVID-19 tests resulted in positive cases.
We continue to see high levels of new #COVID-19 cases for #Anaheim and #OC. Equally discouraging, today’s numbers come on 11,647 test results, a 27 percent positivity rate for this batch. Fight COVID in all you do.
@City_of_Anaheim on Twitter
Aside from reopening Buena Vista Street, both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure have been shuttered since March. Downtown Disney District remains open, but guests cannot eat on property. Retail shopping locations are permitted to operate at 20% of capacity. This extension of the stay-at-home order will further delay any potential reopenings.