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The Orange County Board of Supervisors, during a Special Meeting today, received an update from various County of Orange department heads, including County Health Officer Dr. Nichole Quick and Health Care Agency Director Richard Sanchez, regarding the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. To view the update received by the Board, please click here. 
As a result, County Health Officer Dr. Nichole Quick issued a Health Officer’s Order today to protect the health and well-being of Orange County residents, which includes among many other things: "Effective immediately and continuing until 11:59 p.m. on March 31, 2020, the following will be in effect in Orange County: 1. All public and private gatherings of any number of people, including at places of work, occurring outside a single household or living unit are prohibited. However, nothing in this Order prohibits the gathering of members of a household or living unit." As this is a rapidly evolving situation, this Order may be revised and/or extended at any time. To read the entire Order of the Local Health Officer, including exclusions to the Order, please click here. “We are taking these mitigation steps in line with a directive issued by Governor Newsom to help slow the spread of COVID-19,” said Dr. Nichole Quick, County Health Officer. “We recognize community members may experience anxiety related to the social disruption caused by COVID-19, and want to encourage residents to reach out to loved ones using appropriate methods like telephone, video messaging, email and text.” For general information about COVID-19, please call the OC Health Care Agency’s (HCA) Health Referral Line at (800) 564-8448, visit HCA's dedicated COVID-19 website, or follow the HCA on Facebook (@ochealthinfo) and Twitter (@ochealth). For any further questions, please call the County of Orange Public Information Hotline at (714) 628-7085. 
COUNTY OF ORANGE PUBLIC SERVICE IMPACTS Child Support Services - Court activities will be curtailed until further notice. Clients may visit the website or call (866) 901-3212 between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday – Friday.
Clerk-Recorder - All of the Clerk-Recorder offices in Anaheim, Laguna Hills, Westminster and the Santa Ana Civic Center, including the Old Courthouse, are closed.
- All special Saturday openings are canceled.
- Passport application acceptance service is suspended.
- Marriage Services (licenses and ceremonies) are suspended.
- Over-the-counter Document Recording Services are suspended. All recordings may be submitted electronically or via mail.
- Attorney service document recording drop-offs and pick-ups are suspended.
- All professional registrations (process server, photocopier, legal document assistant and unlawful detainer assistant registrations) are suspended.
Health Care Agency Behavioral Health Services - Community trainings (i.e. Mental Health First Aid and Crisis Intervention Training) are suspended.
- March Mental Health Board and Mental Health Services Act Steering Committee meetings have been canceled.
- Clients are being screened for symptoms and any client who presents with symptoms is being re-scheduled and referred for a medical appointment.
- Outreach & Engagement staff have suspended their participation in resource fairs.
- OC Links staff have suspended their participation in resource fairs.
- Group therapy has been suspended.Community trainings (i.e. Mental Health First Aid and Crisis Intervention Training) are suspended.
Office of Care Coordination - The March Continuum of Care Board and Committee meeting is canceled.
- The March Bridges at Kraemer Community Advisory Board meeting is canceled.
- The March Commission to End Homelessness Meeting is canceled.
Public Health Services - California Children Services Medical Therapy Units, which are located on school campuses, are limiting services to medically urgent appointments.
Regulatory/Medical Health Services - Several hospital food facility inspections have been postponed to minimize operational impact to hospitals.
Human Resource Services - Human Resource Services (HRS) is significantly reducing and might eliminate in-person testing for candidates currently in the hiring process. HRS will work to accommodate candidates who do not have access to online systems.
- HRS is exploring significantly speeding up the hiring process as allowed per the emergency orders, especially for OC Health Care Agency.
OC Community Resources Orange County Animal Care - The shelter in Tustin is closed to the general public effective March 16 to March 31, 2020.
- Owner surrenders are limited to emergencies only.
- Adoptions/rescues/fostering & pet redemptions will be by appointment only.
- Field Services will be limited to essential services only.
- In-person licensing services are suspended.
OC Community Services - The senior home delivered meal program will change to one or two deliveries per week, with multiple meals provided at a time.
- Congregate meal sites are canceled, but brown bag/frozen meal pick-up is available 3-5 days a week, depending on the site. Sites with limited operational days will offer multiple meals to cover the entire week.
- Senior home assessments have been waived. New clients in need of food will be registered over the phone and granted conditional eligibility to be able to start receiving meals immediately.
- California Department of Aging waived volunteer driver’s background check requirements. As long as they have a background on file with any agency, they will be provided conditional on the spot approval.
- The Veterans Services Office is seeing clients solely by appointment. No walk ins are accepted to ensure social distancing and proper sanitation.
- Centers will remain open by appointment only to provide critical services to our customers during this difficult time.
In addition, alternative service delivery strategies for One-Stop Centers that have been implemented: - Stream workshops, which expands reach to the farthest areas of large and gridlocked geography.
- Provide services remotely through phone calls, video conferencing, email, and web content.
- Appointment only in-person visits to the AJCC, staying to the recommended six foot social distancing guideline.
- Continue with Rapid Response activities as needed and where social distancing is possible or done remotely
Orange County Housing Authority - All face-to-face office visits are suspended starting March 16, 2020. All inquiries and questions should be made via phone call and email. Information will be posted on the OCHA website.
- All annual inspections will be rescheduled and postponed starting March 16, 2020.
- New lease inspections will continue as the units are vacant. All communication with the owner or tenant will be via email/phone call.
- Special inspection will be delayed unless it is essential to the health and safety of the tenant.
OC Housing & Community Development - Face-to-face and in-person meetings are suspended.
- Affordable housing monitoring inspections will be rescheduled
OC Parks - Outdoor spaces at OC Parks and restrooms are open.
- All interior buildings and the OC Zoo are closed.
- All events/programs and third-party reservations, including camping reservations at Caspers Wilderness Park and O’Neill Regional Park, canceled through April 5, 2020.
- New reservations and permits are suspended.
OC Public Libraries - All library branches are closed effective March 16, 2020, through March 31, 2020.
OC Waste & Recycling - Effective March 17, 2020, through March 31, 2020, Materials Exchange Programs at OC Waste & Recycling’s Household Hazardous Waste Collection Centers will be closed. The collection center operation itself will remain open.
Public Defender - Out of custody clients have been notified via website to contact their attorneys to see if they can give 977 authority for the attorney to appear on their behalf, removing the need to appear in court themselves.
Registrar of Voters - The Registrar of Voters (ROV) continues with the required manual tallies and audits related to the Presidential Primary Election. Registrar Neal Kelley plans to bring those final results to the Board on March 24. 2020.
- ROV is working with the Secretary of State to gain a waiver from the Governor to halt in-person voting requirements for the April 7, 2020. Westminster Recall election.
- All of auditing functions are being live streamed on ocvote.com/rla allowing for full public transparency. RoV is also staffing all of its phone operations, including all supported languages — Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese and Spanish. The public may call 714-567-7600 for assistance.
Sheriff’s Department - The front lobby of all Sheriff’s Department buildings and contract city police services substations are closed to the public.
- All volunteer programs are suspended; this includes senior programs in contract cities and those provided by jail volunteers. Jail programs provided by staff will continue.
- All department tours and civilian ride-alongs will be postponed.
- Patrol deputies have been directed to use discretion in responding to calls for service that require social contact. Where possible, deputies will call reporting parties and take necessary reports over the phone.
- Community service officers and motor deputies will not respond to non-injury traffic collisions unless vehicles are disabled in the roadway or creating a hazard.
- Public jail visiting is suspended, and inmates are provided two free five-minute phone calls per week.
- Enhanced symptom screening for jail intake has been implemented in coordination with the OC Health Care Agency’s Correctional Health Services.
- All training at the Sheriff’s Regional Training Academy is suspended.
Social Services Agency The Social Services Agency (SSA) has closed the following offices: - Aliso Viejo Regional Center
- Anaheim Regional Center
- Central Regional Office
- County Community Service Center
- Cypress Regional Center
- Garden Grove Regional Center
- Laguna Hills Regional Center
- Santa Ana Regional Center
- Warner
- Clients may apply for Medi-Cal, CalFresh and CalWORKs benefits, review case information, request a replacement benefits card and submit verifications, by visiting http://www.mybenefitscalwin.org or calling SSA’s Service Center at (800) 281-9799.
- Clients may apply for General Relief benefits, by calling (800) 281-9799 or by faxing an application to (714) 825-3155.
- Clients may apply for In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) or ask questions related to ongoing IHSS cases, by calling (714) 825-3000.
- SSA has received State authorization to waive face-to-face requirements in the CalWORKs program and have moved forward with waiving the in-face requirements for General Relief. Additionally, both California Department of Health Care Services and California Department of Social Services have issued guidance that will allow for expediting benefits.
- This morning, SSA received State Guidance on the Adult Protective Services program, which will allow them to restrict required home visits to just those cases that require an immediate response per current regulations. Additionally, Public Authority is assessing the ability to either postpone or find alternate methods to complete required IHSS provider enrollments.
- SSA will be working with Juvenile Court to explore other options related to court ordered visitation, including ordered monitored visits.
- The Orangewood Children & Family Center (OCFC) will be closed for public access, including visitation and volunteer activities. OCFC operations providing support to children on campus will continue to operate.
Treasurer-Tax Collector - All in-person property tax payments are suspended. Payments can be made 24/7 online at ocgov.com/octaxbill by check (no cost) and credit/debit card (2.29 percent service fee applies) or checks can be dropped off at the new Treasurer-Tax Collector Depository on the east side of the County Administration South building, 601 N. Ross St, Santa Ana, CA 92701.
- All requests for certifications of tract maps must be sent to County of Orange, Attn.: Treasurer-Tax Collector, P.O. Box 4515, Santa Ana, CA 92702-4515 or 601 N. Ross Street, Second Floor, Santa Ana, CA 92701.
- All Mobile Home Tax Clearance Certificates can be completed online at tax.ocgov.com/tcweb/tcc_request.asp. or the online form can be printed and mailed to County of Orange, Attn.: Treasurer-Tax Collector, P.O. Box 4515, Santa Ana, CA 92705-4515.
- The Property Tax Auction scheduled for March 23, 2020, is canceled.
Again, this is a rapidly evolving situation. For general information about COVID-19, please call the OC Health Care Agency’s (HCA) Health Referral Line at (800) 564-8448, visit HCA's dedicated COVID-19 website, or follow the HCA on Facebook (@ochealthinfo) and Twitter (@ochealth). For any further questions, please call the County of Orange Public Information Hotline at (714) 628-7085.
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