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

Don’t Let a Negative Test Result Create a False Sense of a Security

Tested negative for COVID-19? A negative result does not protect you from virus, nor is it a reason to engage in risky social behavior. Remember, a COVID-19 test does not guarantee that you do not have the virus; a false-negative test is possible. Also, even when accurate, a test result only reflects whether you have the virus at the moment you took the test. You could become positive at any time and an exposure to COVID-19 could happen immediately following your test.

If you were a contact to a suspected or positive case when you were tested, you should remain in quarantine for the full 14 days even if your test comes back negative. This is because the incubation period for the virus can be up to 14 days and unless you were tested on the 14th day from your exposure, a negative test earlier in the quarantine period does not mean you are not infected.

COVID-19 Q&A with Dr. Tasha Dixon

"The county is reopening but isn't COVID-19 still dangerous?"
"Is it safe to go out and socialize?"

Dr. Tasha Dixon, Family Medicine Lead Attending Physician at Los Angeles County’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Outpatient Center, answers these questions and more in this video from the County of Los Angeles.

L.A. County to Consider Extending Eviction Moratorium through September 30

Next week, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors will consider extending the countywide moratorium on evictions through September 30.

The moratorium is set to expire on July 31, but last month, Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order extending authorization for local governments to halt evictions for renters impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic through the end of September.

As a reminder, L.A. County’s eviction moratorium — which applies to Rancho Palos Verdes — prevents both residential and commercial tenants from being evicted for not paying their rent, for no-fault reasons, and other violations related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The motion from Supervisors Sheila Kuehl and Hilda Solis, which will be considered July 21, would also make the protections in the county’s moratorium the baseline for cities with their own moratoria.

Read the motion at http://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/bos/supdocs/147311.pdf

If you have questions about the moratorium, call (833) 223-RENT (7368), email rent@dcba.lacounty.gov, or visit dcba.lacounty.gov/noevictions

Tele-Town Hall with Senator Ben Allen on Small Business Recovery and Resources

Join Senator Ben Allen and Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara tomorrow, July 17 at 1 p.m. for a Tele-Town Hall on small business recovery and resources during the COVID-19 pandemic and civil unrest. To register, email crb@insurance.ca.gov. Learn more at bit.ly/2ZKMzsB

What L.A. County Residents and Employers Need to Know About COVID-19 Testing Now

As cases and hospitalizations rise, many residents believe they need to get tested for COVID-19. However, L.A. County health officials stress that not everyone needs to be tested and emphasize the basic ways individuals and businesses can and should protect themselves from this virus.

Here are 10 tips to keep in mind as we navigate this dynamic situation together:

At this point in this rapidly-evolving crisis, it is important to reserve testing for those who have a medical or public health reason for it. While L.A. County currently has enough testing supplies to meet the needs of those who need to be tested, the number of COVID-19 cases are on the rise here and throughout the country. Let’s work together to reserve testing for those with a medical or public health need.
The common-sense rules still apply. Here are the most important things we as individuals and community members can do to slow the spread of COVID-19.
- Stay home as much as possible.
- Leave home only for essential activities like work, medical appointments and grocery shopping.
- Wear a cloth face covering when you’re out in public.
- Stay at least six feet apart from people you don’t live with.
- Wash your hands thoroughly and often, and don’t touch your face.
Check with a health care provider if you think you need to get tested. It’s always best to work with your health care professional to determine the kind of care you need—just as you would with any other health care concern. Unless you have specific symptoms, exposures or risk factors, you may not need to be tested, and your health care provider can talk with you about your concerns and help determine if you need to be tested. If you don’t have a doctor, call 211 to get a referral.
Know your risk level. According to the latest Public Health guidance, highest priority for testing should go to people with symptoms — including hospitalized patients, healthcare workers, first responders, employees and residents in group living settings, and people over 65 years old or with underlying health conditions that place them at higher risk of serious complications. Asymptomatic people — those without symptoms — also should be prioritized for testing if they are part of a public health investigation, if they live or work in high risk settings, such as skilled nursing facilities or homeless shelters, if they are a close contact of someone with a confirmed positive diagnosis of COVID-19, or if they are an essential worker.

Prioritization of routine testing among other asymptomatic people is not recommended at this time. People over the age of 65 or with underlying conditions do not necessarily need to be tested unless they have symptoms, have had an exposure or have been told by public health to be tested. Once again, please check with your healthcare provider about your specific situation and let their medical advice guide you.

Employers should not require a negative COVID-19 test result before employees return to work, and employees do not need to present a certificate saying they have tested negative, under the current guidance from the L.A. County Department of Public Health.
Employers can offer and pay for COVID-19 testing as an occupational health and safety measure if an employer wishes to have its workforce get tested before returning to a work site. These employees should not seek a test at the city/county/state testing sites, which should be reserved for those who meet the medical or public health criteria for testing, and who do not have access to testing through their regular provider or health plan.
Health care providers are required by a recent L.A. County Health Officer Order to provide their patients with access to COVID testing if they are symptomatic, are part of a public health investigation, or have been in close contact with a confirmed COVID-19 infected person. The Health Officer order also encourages providers to bill private insurance plans for these services whenever possible. Patients are not allowed to be charged by their plan or provider for COVID-19 tests. Obtaining testing through a patient’s regular provider network helps to assure tailored clinical advice and facilitates good follow-up in the case of positive results.
A COVID-19 test does not protect you from the virus, and a negative result should not be seen as a reason to engage in risky social behavior. A COVID-19 test does not guarantee that you do not have the virus; a false-negative test is possible. Also, even when accurate, a test result only reflects whether you have the virus at the moment you took the test. You could become positive at any time and an exposure to COVID-19 could happen immediately following your test.
Don’t panic. Although rising case numbers and hospitalizations are cause for concern, we can still turn this around by following the common-sense steps listed above. Los Angeles County came together to flatten the curve earlier in this pandemic, even when testing was much more limited than it is today, and we can do it again. We are still in a phased reopening, with many more options for safe recreation available, and it’s up to all of us to behave in ways that enable us to move forward, instead of taking a step back.
More testing capacity is on the way. Appointments may be limited at testing sites due to increased demand. The County and the City of Los Angeles are adding capacity at existing sites, as well as standing up new county- and city-funded sites in high-need communities in the weeks to come. Learn more here.

Remember: Regardless of test results, you still need to follow quarantine and isolation orders from Public Health or your provider. If you have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, you need to self-quarantine for 14 days, even if you test negative during that time. If you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, you should self- isolate in order to prevent spread of the virus to others and follow these steps:

Keep your physician informed of your symptoms and consult with your provider about getting tested.
If you are elderly or have an underlying health condition, seek medical care.
If you don’t have a physician, call 211 to get connected to one.

If you are having trouble breathing or have other severe symptoms, dial 911 or go to the nearest hospital emergency department immediately.

Cruise Ship No Sail Order Extended through September

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced today the extension of a No Sail Order for cruise ships through September 30, 2020. This order continues to suspend passenger operations on cruise ships with the capacity to carry at least 250 passengers in waters subject to U.S. jurisdiction.

This order will remain in effect until the earliest of:

The expiration of the Secretary of Health and Human Services’ declaration that COVID-19 constitutes a public health emergency;
The CDC Director rescinds or modifies the order based on specific public health or other considerations; or
September 30, 2020.

On cruise ships, passengers and crew share spaces that are more crowded than most urban settings. Even when only essential crew are on board, ongoing spread of COVID-19 still occurs. If unrestricted cruise ship passenger operations were permitted to resume, passengers and crew on board would be at increased risk of COVID-19 infection and those that work or travel on cruise ships would place substantial unnecessary risk on healthcare workers, port personnel and federal partners (i.e., Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Coast Guard), and the communities they return to.

Learn more at https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2020/s0716-cruise-ship-no-sail-order.html

Questions about moving your business operations outdoors?

If your RPV business is impacted by COVID-19-related closures and you have questions about moving your operations outdoors, please contact the Community Development Department at 310-544-5228 or planning@rpvca.gov.

Check Your Hand Sanitizer

Some hand sanitizers that are made in Mexico have been found to contain methanol (wood alcohol). Methanol can cause serious health problems such as blindness, and even death.

If the manufacturer’s name is on this list, stop using it immediately:

4E Global, SAPI de CV
AAA Cosmetica
DDI Multinacional SA de CV
Eskbiochem SA de CV
Grupo Insoma, S.A.P.I de CV
Limpo Quimicos SA de CV
Liqesa Exportacion or Liq-E-S.A. de CV
Maquiladora Miniara, SA de CV
Mystic International SA de CV
Soluciones Cosmeticas SA de CV
Tropicosmeticos SA de CV

For the latest information, check the FDA’s Methanol Contaminated Products List. If your product is on this list, stop using it immediately. Double check all hand sanitizer.

More Hand Sanitizer Safety Tips:

Avoid products that say “FDA-approved” on the label – there are no hand sanitizers approved by the FDA.
Seek immediate medical attention if you have swallowed hand sanitizer or are experiencing symptoms after repeated use of these products on your skin and contact your poison center (1-800-222-1222) for advice.
Signs and symptoms of methanol poisoning include headache, blurred vision or blindness, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, loss of coordination, and decreased alertness.
Keep hand sanitizers out of the reach of children and supervise their use.
Do not swallow hand sanitizers
Only use alcohol-based hand sanitizers or rubs for their intended purpose – to clean hands.
For more information, see the FDA’s consumer warning letter which is available in English and Spanish.

Upcoming Local Blood Drive

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.

The City of Palos Verdes Estates is holding a blood drive on Tuesday, July 28 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. outside the PVE Police Station, 340 Palos Verdes Drive West in Palos Verdes Estates.

Appointments can be made online at ucedonor.com (click on “Blood Drives” and enter “City of Palos Verdes Estates” in the Account Name box), or by phone at 310-825-0888 X 2.

Cases

As of July 16, there are 147,468 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across Los Angeles County (population 10.17 million), 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 192 cases in Rancho Palos Verdes (population 41,731), 62 in Palos Verdes Estates (population 13,190), 30 in Rolling Hills Estates (population 8,066), four in Rolling Hills (population 1,874), and one in the unincorporated area of the Peninsula. Countywide, 3,988 people have died.

According to the Department of Public Health, 12 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.

Always check with trusted sources for the latest accurate information about the novel coronavirus.

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/