LOS ANGELES—With the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic growing, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced a city and countywide “Safer at Home” order on Thursday, March 19, along with the Governor Gavin Newsom, ordering the same for the entire state.

On Thursday evening, Garcetti announced a city and countywide order for Los Angelenos to stay in their home in order to limit the spread of the Coronavirus. While this is not an order to stay inside, it is an order to limit residents from traveling to non-essential jobs. After the Mayor’s announcement, Governor Newsom  announced a similar order for the state of California. Both orders both went into effect at midnight on Friday, March 20 and are scheduled to take place until March 31 or until further notice, depending on the severity and progression of the COVID-19 virus. 

The city and county of Los Angeles, along with the state of California is being asked to remain in their homes, with some exceptions as follow:

-To visit a healthcare or veterinary professional

-To exercise, but remain 6 feet away from others, such as walking, hiking, running, cycling, using scooters, roller skates, skateboards, or travel in a vehicle with household members to go to a place to walk, hike, run or ride a bike.

-Obtain medical supplies

-Buy groceries

-To care for a family member, a friend, or a pet in another household

-Returning to a home outside Los Angeles

-Traveling to a home outside Los Angeles

-Comply with a court or law enforcement order

-Legally mandated government purposes

All first responders, gang and crisis intervention workers, public health workers, emergency management personnel, emergency dispatchers, law enforcement personnel, and those working for emergency services providers are exempt.

While doing such things, people should keep 6 feet from others, frequently wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer, cover coughs and sneezes, clean high-touch surfaces and not shake hands.

Homeless people are exempt. People are allowed on Friday to go to work to gather belongings.

Los Angeles businesses that require in-person attendance are being asked to cease operations, unless you are considered an essential business

Banning of all gatherings outside a home and gatherings of 10 or more people

All businesses within the city of Los Angeles are ordered to cease operations that require in-person attendance by workers at a workplace, including malls and shopping centers, with exceptions for certain essential businesses that have exterior doors. Businesses that can continue by telecommuting can continue to operate. Only retail stores considered non-essential are ordered to close.

Officials stress that violations of either the city or county order can be enforced as a misdemeanor and punishable by fines and imprisonment. For those staying inside, officials ask  you stay separated by at least six feet and have access to hand-washing facilities with soap and water or hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol.

People are allowed to go to essential businesses, such as grocery stores and to pick up takeout food at restaurants. Childcare centers can remain open, but with certain rules as follow:

-Child care must be carried out in stable groups of 12 or fewer (“stable” means the same 12 or fewer children are in the same group each day)

-Children shall not change from one group to another

-If more than one group of children is cared for at one facility, each group shall be in a separate room. Groups shall not mix with each other.

-Child-care providers shall remain solely with one group of children.

For more details on what can and cannot be done under this new order to stay in visit https://covid19.ca.gov/stay-home-except-for-essential-needs/