Monterey County remains on stay-at-home order until ICU capacity for region improves.

Any hope for some businesses to reopen and outdoor dining to return on Monday must be put on hold yet again. The California Department of Public Health announced yesterday that the regional stay-at-home order will remain in place for the Bay Area Region—which includes Monterey County—for now, until ICU projections improve.

Monterey County Health Officer Edward Moreno authorized the county to enter into the regional order beginning Dec. 13, with a tentative end date of Jan. 11. From the beginning, Moreno and state officials said exiting the order would depend on conditions and could be extended further.

The current conditions are that the available ICU capacity for the Bay Area Region is 3 percent, the department said in a press release. In order to exit the order, a four-week ICU projection for the region must be at 15 percent or greater. 

"The state will assess the region's ICU projections in the coming days and announce a formal decision on whether Bay Area meets criteria to exit the order," the release states.

The state calculates ICU capacity daily based on four factors: the current estimated regional ICU capacity available; the measure of current community transmission; current regional case rates; and the proportion of ICU cases being admitted.

In Monterey County the state is reporting that there are 30 people in the ICU with 32 beds available as of yesterday. A total of 208 people are reported as hospitalized. The county currently has 32,394 confirmed cases and 242 deaths.

According to the CDPH, the county's risk level continues to be "widespread," with 64.2 new Covid cases confirmed per day per 100,000 residents. The test positivity rate, taking into account the health equity quartile, is 24.4 percent. 

Although the regional stay-at-home order is less restrictive than initial orders at the start of the pandemic, it has contributed to the overall negative economic impact on the county. Restaurants are only allowed to do take-out and businesses like hair and nail salons have had to remain shut. 

In related Covid news, the CDPH issued an updated travel advisory on Jan. 6, that states Californians should avoid non-essential travel to any part of the state more than 120 miles from where they live. They should also avoid travel to other states or countries for non-essential purposes.

Non-essential travelers from outside of the sate "are strongly discouraged for entering California," and those that do should self-quarantine for 10 days after arrival except for those here for urgent health care staffing needs or emergency response.