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

RPV’s Frontline Worker Outreach

RPVtv features Councilwoman Barbara Ferraro delivering meals prepared by Avenue Italy to L.A. County firefighters at Fire Station No. 83. Councilwoman Ferraro is joined by her grandson and City Manager Ara Mihranian in RPV's ongoing effort to support local restaurants and thank first responders on the front line during the pandemic.

Watch the video on RPVtv’s YouTube channel at: youtu.be/vWxkvpi7-mI

New Health Officer Order Allows Faith-Based, Retail Services and More to Reopen

L.A. County announced, today, its commitment to keeping residents "Safer At Work And In The Community," and is further aligning its COVID-19 recovery efforts with the State’s California Pandemic Resilience Roadmap. The new Health Officer Order, to be issued later today, allows for the resumption of faith-based services, in-store shopping at low-risk retail stores, drive-in movies and other recreational activities.

The following are highlights from today's Order, to be issued by L.A. County's Department of Public Health (DPH), which emphasizes physical distancing requirements, cloth face coverings and other safety protocols must be observed:

Faith-Based Organizations
Faith-based organizations may resume services, with the number of congregants limited to less than 25% of the building's capacity, or a maximum of 100 people, whichever is lower.

Indoor and Outdoor Retail Shopping Centers
All indoor and outdoor retail shopping centers may now open for business at 50% capacity.

Flea Markets, Swap Meets and Drive-Ins
All flea markets, swap meets and drive-in movie theaters may also resume operations.

Pools, Hot Tubs and Saunas
Pools, hot tubs and saunas that are in a multi-unit residence or part of a homeowners association may also now open.

Public Protests
Individuals may participate in an in-person protest as long as attendance is limited to 25% of the area's maximum occupancy, or a maximum of 100 attendees, whichever is lower.

County residents may take part in all-permitted activities while continuing to practice physical distancing and wearing a cloth face covering when in contact with others. You are still encouraged to remain in your residences, as much as practical, and limit close contact with others outside your household (both indoor and outdoor).

Gatherings of people not from the same household are still prohibited, except for faith-based services and in-person protests.

NOTE: should COVID-19 data indicators warrant, LA County may adjust orders to reflect specific County needs. Read today's press release on L.A. County's revised Health Officer Order at https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/CALACOUNTY/bulletins/28d8368

Supervisors Vote to Appoint First Inspector General for Skilled Nursing Homes Amid COVID-19 Deaths

Acting on a motion by Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas and Board Chair Kathryn Barger, the Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to appoint – for the first time – an Inspector General to oversee skilled nursing facilities, which account for more than half of all deaths from COVID-19 in Los Angeles County. The Board also approved bringing in the Auditor-Controller to ensure closer monitoring of skilled nursing facilities immediately.

The Board tasked the Inspector General with developing recommendations on how to strengthen oversight for skilled nursing facilities, and how to improve their operations long-term. Many skilled nursing homes have a history of getting low marks for quality of care, patient satisfaction, and employee pay.

Last week, an analysis by the New York Times found that facilities with a significant number of black and Latino residents have been twice as likely to be hit by the coronavirus as those where the population is overwhelmingly white. These disparities are heartbreaking, and emphatically underscore the need for better testing and infection control.

Serving thousands of residents to who tend to be older and medically fragile, skilled nursing facilities have become the epicenter of L.A. County’s COVID-19 epidemic. As of May 22, 5,218 residents and 3,140 staff from these facilities have tested positive for the virus.  

Across L.A. County, 53 percent of all deaths from COVID-19 have been in institutional settings, particularly in skilled nursing facilities.

In their motion, approved by the Board today, Supervisors Ridley-Thomas and Barger said it was critical that L.A. County learn the lessons of this crisis; identify the internal and external factors that have contributed to inadequate conditions within skilled nursing facilities; and provide oversight, accountability and resources as needed.

They described the proposed Inspector General as a “much-needed accountability measure” appointed to conduct an exhaustive review of L.A. County’s capacity to regulate skilled nursing facilities, recommend structural and operational changes, and outline a plan for ensuring adequate and sustainable oversight.

They also called for charging the Inspector General with recommending regulatory and policy improvements at the local, state and federal levels, with the goal of enhancing quality of care, ensuring adequate infection control measures, and supporting healthcare workers.

To increase transparency, Supervisor Ridley-Thomas and Chair Barger’s motion also called for directing the L.A. County Auditor-Controller to take the lead in designing a publicly accessible dashboard with information about their COVID-19 case totals, testing frequency, mitigation plan status, and other information. The motion also sought to find ways to enhance L.A. County’s ability to assess the adequacy of mitigation plans and to oversee their implementation.

Heat Safety

With high temperatures forecast for parts of Los Angeles County, the Department of Public Health reminds everyone to take precautions to avoid heat-related illness, especially older adults, young children, outdoor workers, athletes, and people with a chronic medical condition who are especially sensitive to negative health impacts from extreme heat. Public Health offers the following recommendations during high temperature days:

• Drink plenty of water and keep hydrated throughout the day.
• If you must go out, plan your day to avoid going out during the hottest hours, and wear sunscreen. Wear lightweight, light-colored clothes, and bring a hat or umbrella with you.
• Cars get very hot. Never leave children or pets in cars and call 911 if you see a child or pet in a car alone.
• Beware of heat-related illness, like heat stroke and call 911 if you see these symptoms: high body temperature, vomiting, and pale and clammy skin.
• Check on those at risk, like those who are sick, older adults, pregnant women, and children.
• Avoid strenuous work outs wearing face coverings or masks not intended for athletic purposes; this means avoiding contact with others while you work out.

As Safer at Home Orders remain in effect, Public Health, City and County partners have planned ways to safely operate cooling centers during times of high heat. Cooling centers will be open to provide the public relief from the heat. Residents who do not have access to air conditioning are encouraged to take advantage of these free cooling centers. To find a location near you, visit ready.lacounty.gov/heat/ or call 211.

Palos Verdes Library District Launches Curbside Hold Pickup at All Locations

The Palos Verdes Library District will launch Curbside Hold Pick Up at all library locations starting Tuesday, June 2. During this time of safe distancing, the library would like to continue providing excellent service to the community by providing access to materials while the library remains closed.

Starting June 2, patrons can drive up to either Peninsula Center, Miraleste, or Malaga Cove Library branches to pick up their holds. For the safety of the community and library staff, all L.A. County Public Health guidelines will be followed to provide touch free services. These guidelines include the use of safety masks, quarantining of materials, and regular cleaning.

• Hold pick up starts June 2nd at all branches, Tuesdays-Thursdays and Saturdays, 10 a.m.- 2 p.m.
• Only items you have been notified that are available for pick up will be distributed.
• The library is not available for browsing. Please check your library accounts online, your email or call before arriving.
• Please have your face coverings on and library card ready.
• Peninsula Center roof parking lot at 650 Deep Valley Drive will be open for hold pick up. Signage will be posted for your convenience to drive up for service.
• Both Malaga Cove and Miraleste branches will allow you to park and pick up your hold.
• Malaga Cove parking lot entrance off of Via Pinale will allow for parking and pick up.
• Miraleste Library parking lot will be open and services will be provided at the front entrance.

The library buildings will be closed to the public and all other services will not be available. Book drops will reopen on Monday, June 8, 2020, and patrons are encouraged to place items on hold online by visiting www.pvld.org or calling the library phone messaging system 310-377-9584 ext. 601. Librarians will return your calls and assist you with your materials. Books, DVDs, video games, and music CDs will be available to be placed on hold. Magazines and newspapers will not be available.

Items will be quarantined and cleaned upon return, resulting in a delayed check-in. No overdue fines will be charged due to delay. Book donations are currently not being accepted.

Contact the Palos Verdes Library District for more information (310) 377-9584 or visit pvld.org/curbsideholdpickup

Upcoming Local Blood Drives

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.

Palos Verdes Peninsula High School is teaming up with UCLA Health to host a local blood drive on Friday, May 29 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Ernie Howlett Park, 2581 Hawthorne Boulevard in Rolling Hills Estates (look for the UCLA Bloodmobile near the tennis courts).
 
In order to ensure measures are met for appropriate social distancing, please make an appointment in the following ways:

1. Online at www.uclahealth.org/gotblood
2. Over the phone by calling (310) 825-0888, select option 2 and make an appointment for Palos Verdes Peninsula High School
3. Or through email at gotblood@mednet.ucla.edu

The American Red Cross is holding a blood drive on Tuesday, June 2 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 more information, visit redcrossblood.org or by calling 1-800 RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767)

Be Part of RPVtv’s #RPVTogether PSA

The City invites residents to join us in thanking all of our frontline workers, as well as community members who have stepped up to help our neighbors in need during the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
Share your photo, video or message of gratitude on social media with the hashtag #RPVTogether to be included in a special community public service announcement that will air on RPVtv. Submissions may also be emailed to mbarnes@rpvca.gov.
 
We are all in this together, RPV.

Cases

As of May 26, there are 47,822 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across Los Angeles County, 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 90 cases in Rancho Palos Verdes, 42 in Palos Verdes Estates, 14 in Rolling Hills Estates and two in Rolling Hills. Countywide, 2,143 people have died.

According to the Department of Public Health, 11 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.

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/