Dear Residents,
The City of Rancho Palos Verdes continues to monitor the spread of the novel coronavirus in Los Angeles County and would like to share the following updates with the community:
The Latest |
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We’re HereAlthough City Hall is closed for the weekend, the City Council and City staff are monitoring communications from various government agencies and the public and will continue to share information with residents. A webpage with coronavirus updates, resources and information on local closures is continuously being updated at rpvca.gov/coronavirus
Stay connected and get updates from the City by subscribing to the Breaking News listserv at rpvca.gov/notify
COVID-19 Community Updates are distributed Monday through Friday, though any major announcements over the weekend will be shared with the community.
Be sure to also follow the City on Nextdoor, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. |
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L.A. County to Adhere to State School DirectiveLos Angeles County will issue a new Health Officer Order today to adhere to the California Department of Public Health’s directive that schools in 32 counties on the state’s monitoring list, including Los Angeles County, cannot resume in-person learning next month.
The state order allows superintendents to submit school district waiver requests to re-open elementary schools for approval by the local health officer only after review of local epidemiological data and intervention strategies, and in consultation with CDPH.
In order for schools to re-open their campuses, L.A. County will have to remain off the monitoring list for 14 consecutive days. Counties are on the monitoring list because they have not achieved more than 150 tests per day per 100,000 people, or have more than 100 cases per 1,000 residents, or have case positivity rates greater than 8%, or have a 10% or more increase in hospitalizations over the past three days compared to the prior three days, or less than 20% of ICU beds are open, or less than 25% of ventilators are available.
At this time, L.A. County is on the monitoring list because it has a positivity rate of 9% and case rate of 307 positive cases per 100,000 residents. However, testing and hospital capacity remain adequate with almost 20,000 people tested daily. Both ICU bed and ventilator capacity remain adequate with 29% of ICU beds open and 64% of ventilator capacity available. More details can be found on the Recovery Dashboard.
The L.A. County reopening protocols will be modified to reflect the state’s directives. |
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Governor Gavin Newsom Lays Out Pandemic Plan for Learning and Safe Schools Governor Gavin Newsom today announced his plan for learning and safe schools ahead of the 2020–2021 school year, as the California Department of Public Health issued a framework for when and how schools should reopen for in-person instruction.
The Governor’s plan centers on five key areas:
1) Safe in-person school based on local health data
The California Department of Public Health today issued updated schools guidance that includes using existing epidemiological metrics to determine if school districts can start in-person instruction. CDPH currently uses six indicators to track the level of COVID-19 infection in each California county as well as the preparedness of the county health care system – data that includes the number of new infections per 100,000 residents, the test positivity rate, and the change in hospitalization rate, among others. Any county that does not meet the state’s benchmarks is put on the County Monitoring List.
Schools located in counties that are on the Monitoring List must not physically open for in-person instruction until their county has come off the Monitoring List for 14 consecutive days. Schools in counties that have not been on the Monitoring List for the prior 14 days may begin in-person instruction, following public health guidelines. School community members – including parents, teachers, staff and students – can track daily data on whether and why their county is on the Monitoring List at covid19.ca.gov/roadmap-counties/#track-data.
There is a single exception. Local health officers may grant a waiver to allow elementary schools to reopen in-person instruction if the waiver is requested by the district superintendent, in consultation with labor, parents and community-based organizations. When considering a waiver request, the local health officer must consider local data and consult with the California Department of Public Health.
The Department also issued updated guidance for when schools must physically close and revert to distance learning because of COVID-19 infections. Following a confirmed case of a student who was at school during his or her infectious period, other exposed students and staff should be quarantined for 14 days. The school should revert to distance learning when multiple cohorts have cases or 5 percent of students and staff test positive within a 14-day period. The district should revert to distance learning when 25 percent or more of its schools have been physically closed due to COVID-19 within 14 days. Closure decisions should be made in consultation with local health officers. After 14 days, school districts may return to in-person instruction with the approval of the local public health officer.
2) Strong mask requirements for anyone in the school
In the updated guidance, all staff and students in 3rd grade and above will be required to wear a mask or face covering. Students in 2nd grade and below are strongly encouraged to wear a face covering. Students should be provided a face covering if they do not have one. The state has delivered over 18 million face coverings to schools to support them to reopen and ensure all students can participate in learning.
3) Physical distancing requirements and other adaptations
In the updated guidance, CDPH requires that all adults stay 6 feet from one another and 6 feet away from children, while students should maintain 6 feet of distance from one another as practicable. Anyone entering the school must do a health screen, and any student or staff exhibiting a fever or other symptoms will be immediately sent home. The guidance also provides that if anyone in a student or staff member’s household is sick, they too should stay home.
4) Regular testing and dedicated contact tracing for outbreaks at schools
The public health guidance recommends staff in every California school be tested for COVID-19 periodically based on local disease trends and as testing capacity allows. The Governor also announced today that the state will provide resources and technical assistance for COVID-19 investigations in school settings.
5) Rigorous distance learning
Over the course of the pandemic, most schools will likely face physical closure at some point due to COVID-19. The Legislature and Governor Newsom enacted a budget that provided $5.3 billion in additional funding to support learning, and set requirements to ensure schools provide rigorous and grade-appropriate instruction. Under newly enacted state law, school districts are required to provide: - Devices and connectivity so that every child can participate in distance learning.
- Daily live interaction for every child with teachers and other students.
- Class assignments that are challenging and equivalent to in-person instruction.
- Targeted supports and interventions for English learners and special education students.
The full guidance from the California Department of Public Health can be found here: https://files.covid19.ca.gov/pdf/guidance-schools.pdf |
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Do you have safety concerns about your workplace?
Employees can report workplace concerns or violations anonymously to the L.A. County Department of Public Health by calling 1-888-700-9995. All workplaces are required to implement physical distancing, the wearing of face coverings, and infection control practices.
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Deciding to Go Out During COVID-19
Wondering how you can do your daily activities safely while protecting yourself and your loved ones from COVID-19? The more closely you interact with others and the longer that interaction, the higher the risk of COVID-19 spread.
So, think about:
• How many people will be there?
• Will the space be indoors or outdoors?
• Will you spend a lot of time with others?
(“PST” here’s a hint – think People, Space, and Time.)
Learn more about assessing the risk when you‘re deciding to go out: bit.ly/DecidingToGoOut.
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CDC Launches Natural Disasters and COVID-19 Response Website
Planning and preparing for natural disasters can be stressful, even more so during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has launched a new website, Natural Disasters, Severe Weather, and COVID-19, which includes information on preparedness and recovery during the COVID-19 response and what the general public can do to keep themselves safe.
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Questions about moving your business operations outdoors?
If your RPV business is impacted by COVID-19-related closures and you have questions about moving your operations outdoors, please contact the Community Development Department at 310-544-5228 or planning@rpvca.gov.
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Upcoming Local Blood Drive
Blood donations have decreased dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic. Healthy, eligible donors are urged to come out and give to ensure there’s lifesaving blood on the shelves for those who need it.
The City of Palos Verdes Estates is holding a blood drive on Tuesday, July 28 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. outside the PVE Police Station, 340 Palos Verdes Drive West in Palos Verdes Estates.
Appointments can be made online at ucedonor.com (click on “Blood Drives” and enter “City of Palos Verdes Estates” in the Account Name box), or by phone at 310-825-0888 X 2.
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CasesAs of July 17, there are 150,319 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across Los Angeles County (population 10.17 million), including the South Bay, so the public should not think one location is safer than another and everyone should be aware and practice physical distancing. The total includes 193 cases in Rancho Palos Verdes (population 41,731), 62 in Palos Verdes Estates (population 13,190), 30 in Rolling Hills Estates (population 8,066), four in Rolling Hills (population 1,874), and one in the unincorporated area of the Peninsula. Countywide, 4,047 people have died.
According to the Department of Public Health, 12 deaths have been reported in Rancho Palos Verdes. The City extends its deepest condolences to the families of these residents.
For a list of cases broken down by city, demographic characteristics, and settings, visit: http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/locations.htm
For an interactive dashboard with maps and graphs showing testing, cases and death data by community, poverty level, age, sex and race/ethnicity visit: http://dashboard.publichealth.lacounty.gov/covid19_surveillance_dashboard/
An interactive dashboard of COVID-19 cases in the South Bay maintained by the City of Torrance is available at bit.ly/2XB1fv1. The dashboard reflects information sourced by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
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