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

We’re Here

Although 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

USPS Statement on COVID-19 Cases at Local Facility

Last week, the City received an inquiry about reported COVID-19 cases among staff at the Palos Verdes Peninsula Post Office at 955 Deep Valley Drive. On Thursday, USPS provided the City with the following information:

The Postal Service has learned that three employees at the Palos Verdes Peninsula Post Office tested positive for the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

We are in the process of reaching out to the local public health office and will follow the guidance they provide. We believe the risk is low for employees who work at the Palos Verdes Peninsula Post Office, but we will keep our employees apprised as new information and guidance becomes available.

As you may know, under the Rehabilitation Act and the Privacy Act, specific employee medical information must be kept confidential and may only be shared in very limited circumstances. Therefore, the Postal Service cannot share the name of the employees who tested positive for COVID-19 or further specifics of his or her medical condition.

The safety and well-being of our employees is our highest priority. To ensure the health of our employees, we are continuing to follow recommended guidance and strategies from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

CDC states there is still a lot that is unknown about COVID-19 and how the virus spreads. Coronaviruses are thought to be spread primarily through air-borne respiratory droplets resulting from a sneeze, cough or ordinary speech. Although the virus can survive for a short period of time on some surfaces, both CDC and the United States Surgeon General have indicated that it is unlikely to be spread from domestic or international mail, products or packaging.

Out of an abundance of caution, we will enhance and supplement current cleaning protocols using disinfectants across the facility.

If further information is needed regarding the Postal Service's response to COVID-19, please review the information from our newsroom at: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/covid-19/

PVPUSD School Reopening Town Hall July 27

The Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District Board of Education invites the community to a virtual Town Hall Meeting for School Reopening Planning July 27 from 7-9 p.m. The meeting will be moderated by School Board President Suzanne Seymour. Panel participants will include:

School board members
Superintendent Dr. Alex Cherniss
District staff
Medical professionals from the PVPUSD community

This event will be live-streamed and the public will have an opportunity to submit questions by joining the Zoom video conference, via an online form or email.

For information on how to view the meeting and submit questions, visit pvpusd.net/townhall

Read PVPUSD's Guide for Reopening Schools at: pvpusd.net/2020

Compliance Plan for Health Orders is Unveiled

L.A. County's Department of Public Health (DPH) unveiled a compliance and enforcement plan yesterday to ensure infection control measures are in place in businesses across the county. The tiered plan will include citations and fines for businesses that continue to violate Health Officer Orders, and aims to ensure the health and economy of those who work and live in L.A. County are protected from the deadly virus.

The Plan

The plan will apply to businesses licensed and permitted by DPH, as well as those who are not. Businesses licensed and permitted by DPH can expect to see the following when visited by an inspector:

First Visit: In all inspections, DPH starts with education to ensure the business understands what is required and will assess the severity of any violations noted.
- For businesses where DPH issues a permit or a license, (which runs the gamut from congregate shelters to all food facilities, spas, multiple family dwellings, tattoo and piercing shops, pet day care, and public and residential pools) in the first visit if inspectors note Health Officer Order violations, they will educate the business on the requirements, can fine the business $100, and can also issue a notice of intent to suspend permit and will return to the business within 3-7 days.
Second Visit: if a business is still non-compliant, the county will issue a $500 fine and suspend the facility’s permit for 7 days.
Third Visit: if the business is still non-compliant on the third visit, the county will issue another $500 fine, suspend the business' permit for 30 days, and notify them of the intent to revoke the permit. The county may also refer the business’ non-compliance to the state, if it is warranted.

Businesses that are not permitted or licensed by DPH, which can include gyms, hair salons and other personal services, should expect:

First visit: where noncompliance is found, a $100 fine will be issued, as well as a referral to the appropriate regulatory agency, if applicable.
Second visit: a $500 fine will be issued, DPH will contact local law enforcement for the issuance of a misdemeanor citation, and may refer the case to county counsel for a potential temporary restraining order.
Third visit: Another $500 fine will be issued along with an order to close, and the county may refer the case to the District Attorney for the filing of misdemeanor charges.

L.A. County's DPH is working in partnership with the State of California to establish enforcement strategies using the state’s regulatory framework. This partnership will include:

monitoring bars and other venues that serve alcohol (once they are able to open) in partnership with Alcoholic Beverage Control;
monitoring hair, beauty and spa service providers in partnership with the Board of Barbering and Cosmetology; and
working closely with Cal/OSHA to protect the health and well-being of workers.

L.A. County inspectors have been working seven days a week conducting unannounced site visits and responding to a high volume of complaints received by DPH (17,808 Health Officer Order complaints, since March). Most of the businesses under investigation either came into compliance or were working to come into compliance.

To date, 26 restaurants, 1 grocery store, 1 pool and 67 unregulated businesses (which includes 3 gyms) have been shut down due to Health Officer Order violations. L.A. County's goal is to make sure public health orders are being followed for the health and safety of all those who work and/or visit L.A. County businesses.

For more details, read a press release. To access DPH Health Officer Orders and Reopening Protocols, visit publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/

PVPUSD Return to School Plan

During the Board of Education meeting on July 22, Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Alex Cherniss presented details of the district’s plans for reopening, including the Distance Learning Program and the Hybrid School Program.

Watch a recording of the presentation and read public comments at bit.ly/3jsYZi

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.

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 American Red Cross is holding a blood drive on Tuesday, August 4 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Pacific Unitarian Universalist Church, 5621 Montemalaga Drive in Rancho Palos Verdes.

Reserve a time online at redcrossblood.org and enter the sponsor code: PACIFICUNITARIANCHURCH.

Visit redcrossblood.org/rapidpass to complete the pre-donation paperwork.

The Red Cross has implemented additional precautions to ensure the safety of its donors and staff. There is no evidence that the novel coronavirus can be transmissible by blood transfusion, and there have been no reported cases worldwide of transmissions for any respiratory virus, including the novel coronavirus.

For a limited time, the American Red Cross is testing all blood, platelet and plasma donations for COVID-19 antibodies. Help save lives and get insight into whether you may have been exposed to the novel coronavirus.

For more information, visit redcrossblood.org or by calling 1-800 RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767)

Cases

As of July 24, there are 168,757 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 208 cases in Rancho Palos Verdes (population 41,731), 67 in Palos Verdes Estates (population 13,190), 30 in Rolling Hills Estates (population 8,066), five in Rolling Hills (population 1,874), and six in the unincorporated areas of the Peninsula. Countywide, 4,300 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.

Always check with trusted sources for the latest accurate information about the novel coronavirus.

Los Angeles County Department of Public Health: publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus
California Department of Public Health: cdph.ca.gov/covid19
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): cdc.gov/COVID19
World Health Organization: who.int/coronavirus
California Governor’s Office: covid19.ca.gov
County of Los Angeles: lacounty.gov/covid19
L.A. County residents can also call 2-1-1
FEMA Coronavirus Rumor Control: https://www.fema.gov/Coronavirus-Rumor-Control

Sign up for “Notify Me” city listervs at rpvca.gov/notify

Be sure to also follow the City on Nextdoor, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Sign up for emergency alerts from Alert SouthBay by:

Texting “alertsb” to 888-777, which returns a link to register for Everbridge (for COVID-19-related alerts, text the keyword "cv19rpv")
Registering online at alertsouthbay.com
Downloading the free Everbridge app on an iOS or Android device from the App Store or Google Play. Select “Find an organization or subscription” and search “alertsb”

Sign up for emergency alerts from Alert LA County at https://lacounty.gov/emergency/alert-la/