The State of California today announced the closure of indoor operations for certain business sectors effective immediately. The order applies to counties that have remained on the State’s Targeted Engagement list for three (3) consecutive days, which includes Orange County, and affects the following business sectors:

• Restaurants
• Wineries and Tasking Rooms
• Movie Theaters
• Family Entertainment Centers (bowling alleys, miniature golf, batting cages and arcades)
• Zoos and Museums
• Cardrooms

The health, safety, and economic well-being of Orange County residents remains my top priority. While I fully understand frustration over the State’s most recent closures, I am hopeful that by taking immediate and narrowly tailored action, we can get back to reopening as soon as possible. This virus is not going away anytime soon, so the best thing we can do is continue to exercise good judgment and take precautionary measures.

The State indicated that the above closures will remain in effect for approximately three weeks. For full details on the State’s instructions, click here.

Please be advised that applications for the 5th District Small Business Grant Relief Program are still live and will continue to be accepted until the application deadline Sunday, July 5 at 5:00 PM, providing additional time for eligible small businesses and nonprofits to apply for grants of up to $10,000.

Small businesses and nonprofits that applied during the original application window of June 22 – June 28 at 5:00 PM (Round 1) are currently in the screening/approval process, with funding to be distributed to eligible recipients beginning July 6. If a randomized drawing is necessary for any city that is oversubscribed, it will be held this Friday, July 3.

To reiterate, with grant funding still available, the application portal will remain open until Sunday, July 5 at 5:00 PM. Applications received between 5:01 PM, Sunday, June 28 and the close of the application period July 5 will be part of Round 2. These applications will be screened/approved during the week of July 6, with funding to be distributed beginning July 13.

General information, eligibility criteria, and the application link can be found by visiting the program webpage. The Small Business Development Center also held an informational webinar to provide additional details and answer questions about the program. For more information about the Small Business Grant Relief Program, please click here or on the image below.

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The Orange County Health Care Agency (HCA) continues to release the daily COVID-19 case counts in Orange County. As of today, HCA is reporting 14,413 positive cumulative cases and 345 deaths in Orange County, as well as 542 currently hospitalized with 192 in ICU, the highest numbers recorded in Orange County to date.

Please be advised that the city data is reflective of where cases live, not necessarily where transmission occurred. Additionally, city numbers should not be interpreted to reflect where transmission is geographically focused or not, as COVID-19 is present in all communities in Orange County.

Case counts are also not reflective of all disease transmission in any given community because testing is prioritized for those at greatest risk or most sick. Asymptomatic and persons with mild disease may not be reflected due to not being tested.

Because transmission occurs throughout the County, it is important for all residents to practice social-distancing as directed by the Governor and the Orange County Health Officer regardless of the case count in their city. Doing so will help to reduce the spread of infection, ease the burden on our hospital and healthcare system, and protect those most vulnerable in our county.

The Orange County Health Care Agency (HCA) recently launched its new COVID-19 Data Dashboard, which uses a GIS mapping software platform to display data charts, graphs and maps. Specific information is available for viewing in both a Desktop Version as well as a Mobile Version by clicking the CDPH Data Monitoring tab located at the bottom of the page.

Key features of the new COVID-19 Data Dashboard include:

1. Utilizes data from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) for all 33 hospitals in Orange County, including those without emergency departments.

2. Confirmed cases will be reported based on the date of specimen collection to be more in line with the State and help reduce some reporting time-lags.

3. Case maps at the city and ZIP code of residence are displayed. By clicking on the city or ZIP code area, a pop up box displays the number, rate, as well as skilled nursing facility (SNF) cases.

4. Deaths are reported and mapped by city and ZIP code of residence. By clicking on the city or ZIP code area, a pop up box displays the total number, as well as the number of SNF deaths.

5. A new tab reporting the CDPH's COVID-19 monitoring metrics has been added that reports the three main metrics: disease transmission, hospitalizations, and hospital/intensive care unit capacity trends.

Please visit our new COVID-19 Data Dashboard and select the Desktop Version or the Mobile Version to view additional data on Orange County COVID-19 cases; then click the CDPH Data Monitoring tab located at the bottom of the webpage to view specific data charts, graphs and maps.

Posing the question - “Could it be COVID?” - the Orange County Health Care Agency (HCA) has launched a multifaceted community outreach and advertising initiative aimed at the County’s most vulnerable populations – people who can’t get COVID-19 testing from their health care providers or may not have insurance.

Partnering with community health centers that are performing FDA-approved PCR testing, HCA's COVID-19 testing network has now grown to nearly 20 locations throughout Orange County, where people with symptoms can get a FREE PCR test, the most reliable testing available to detect current infection. In addition, four Optum Serve test locations and more than 30 private providers now offer no-cost testing.

Orange County residents can click here or call the HCA Health Referral Line at (800) 564-8448 to make an appointment at a nearby test site. Next day or same day appointments are available. Testing priority is given to people with symptoms, as well as asymptomatic individuals who are health care workers, first responders, social services employees, or those who are or may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19.  

Focusing on symptoms of COVID-19 - such as coughing, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, fever, chills, shaking, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, and loss of taste or smell - County ads feature images of people coughing, holding their head, and blowing their nose with the simple premise that you can get the answers you need with FREE COVID-19 testing.

To view our Board of Supervisors Toolkit, click here or below.

Click the image above for more info.