To reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19, Governor Newsom and the State Public Health Officer last night issued an executive order, instructing all California residents to stay at home unless they work in one of the 16 federal critical infrastructure sectors. 
 
The order aims to protect the health of all Californians by establishing consistency across the state to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19. Orange County residents can still go to the grocery store to buy food, the pharmacy to pick up their medications, get gas and continue banking.

Businesses that remain open are encouraged to support their employees in working from home as much as possible. Employers and employees who need financial assistance during this time should visit the Employment Development Department’s COVID-19 website. 

For more information on what Orange County residents should know about the State Public Health Officer Order, click here.

The County has produced an updated list of County of Orange services that have been impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. To view the most current list, click here.

In addition, the County has announced the availability of resources and support for seniors over 60 who may be self-isolating during the COVID-19 outbreak in Orange County. For more information, click here.

For Orange County Health Care Agency (HCA) information about COVID-19, visit HCA's dedicated COVID-19 website, or follow HCA on Facebook (@ochealthinfo) and Twitter (@ochealth). For who to call, see the image below.

To minimize adverse health consequences and resource impacts from COVID-19, the Orange County Public Health Officer recommends a more effective mitigation strategy to address the virus countywide.

The new approach is important because it shifts the focus from labor-intensive contact tracing, the process of identifying every person a known COVID-19 case has potentially exposed, to protecting the most vulnerable populations by minimizing their exposure to the virus.

This shift in strategy ends 14-day quarantines simply based on contact exposure. This change applies to first responders. Orange County’s mitigation strategy now hinges on presentation of symptoms. For more information, click here.

Starting Monday, March 23, the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) will temporarily implement a Sunday Bus Service Schedule on all days until further notice. OCTA is taking this action after careful consideration to safeguard the health of its riders and employees while continuing to offer safe and reliable service. For more information, click here.

The Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service are providing special payment relief to individuals and businesses in response to the COVID-19 Outbreak. The filing deadline for tax returns remains April 15, 2020. The IRS urges taxpayers who are owed a refund to file as quickly as possible.

For those who can't file by the April 15, 2020 deadline, the IRS reminds individual taxpayers that everyone is eligible to request a six-month extension to file their return. For more information, click here.

The State of California Franchise Tax Board (FTB) has announced updated special tax relief for all California taxpayers due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

FTB is postponing until July 15 the filing and payment deadlines for all individuals and business entities for:

• 2019 tax returns
• 2019 tax return payments
• 2020 1st and 2nd quarter estimate payments
• 2020 LLC taxes and fees
• 2020 Non-wage withholding payments

For more information, click here.

The U.S.Small Business Administration has announced that small business owners in California are currently eligible to apply for a low-interest loan due to COVID-19. Click here to apply. Find more information on the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loans at SBA.gov/Disaster.