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

Beaches Closed, Fireworks Displays Prohibited During Fourth of July Weekend to Prevent Spread of COVID-19

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is ordering L.A. County beaches closed from July 3 through July 6 at 5 a.m. to prevent dangerous crowding that results in the spread of deadly COVID-19.

For that same reason, the department is also prohibiting fireworks displays in the County this July 4th holiday weekend. 

A modified Health Officer Order will be issued today.

During the holiday weekend, beaches will be totally closed to all recreational activities. Beach parking lots will be closed, as well.

Key metrics continue to show steep increases in community spread of COVID-19. Today, the department announced more than 2,900 new cases of COVID-19, the single largest one-day case count since the pandemic began. Data show increases in people testing positive for the virus and increases in hospitalizations as a result. Projections by the Department of Health Services show a marked increase in hospitalizations in the coming weeks, which could cause a surge in our healthcare system.

All public beaches, piers, public beach parking lots, beach bike paths that traverse that sanded portion of the beach, and beach access points will be temporarily closed to the public as of 12:01 a.m. on July 3, 2020, until 5 a.m. on July 6, 2020. Long Beach has its own health department and this announcement does not apply to that city, at this time.

Bars, Breweries, Brew Pubs, Pubs, Wineries and Tasting Rooms Ordered Closed

In accordance with a directive from the California Department of Public Health due to increased spread of COVID-19, on June 28, county officials amended the Safer at Work and in the Community Order to require that all bars, breweries, brew pubs, pubs, wineries and tasting rooms in Los Angeles County close unless they are offering sit-down, dine-in meals. This includes closing bar areas in restaurants.

Read the revised Safer at Work and in the Community Order (PDF)

Everyone must always wear a face covering securely over your nose and mouth and keep six feet apart from others not in your household when out and about. Businesses must continue to follow public health directives. It is the collective responsibility shared by everyone, including businesses and residents, to slow the spread of COVID-19 to prevent an overwhelming surge of cases at healthcare facilities and save lives.

CDC Expands List of COVID-19 Symptoms

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has expanded its list of symptoms that people are experiencing when they are positive for COVID-19. Be on the lookout for signs and call your provider if you are experiencing even mild illness. If you need a provider, call 211. Symptoms include:

• Fever or chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• New loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• Nausea or vomiting

SoCalGas Extends Gas Assistance Fund

If you have been financially affected by COVID-19 and need help paying your natural gas bill, SoCalGas is extending its Gas Assistance Fund (GAF) program, which usually closes in April, into the fall months.
 
The GAF, a joint effort of United Way of Greater Los Angeles and SoCalGas, has also doubled its one-time grant awards from $100 to $200.
 
To qualify for GAF, you must meet the following requirements:

• The natural gas bill must be in the name of the applicant requesting assistance.
• The bill address must be the applicant’s primary residence.
• The applicant must not apply for more than the maximum GAF allowance for the current program year.
• The applicant must meet the income guidelines.

 
To see the income guidelines and apply, visit www.socalgas.com/GAF.
 
As a reminder, SoCalGas has suspended service disconnections until further notice.
 
?This means no residential or small business customer will have their natural gas service turned off due to non-payment.

Safely Making California Marketplace Connects PPE Manufacturers with Employers in Need

Last week, Governor Gavin Newsom announced a significant step intended to ease the process of putting California back to work. A partnership between the California Manufacturers & Technology Association (CMTA) and the State of California has created the "Safely Making California" Marketplace (SafelyMakingCA.org) to help fill a critical gap during the COVID-19 pandemic. The program went online last week to connect CMTA member manufacturers and other manufacturers to employers who have the need to purchase non-medical grade Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). 
 
All businesses are now able to connect with California based manufactures to obtain PPE.
 
?Visit SafelyMakingCA.org for more information.

Tomorrow is Takeout Tuesday!

The community is encouraged to join in the “Takeout Tuesdays and Takeout Thursdays” initiative launched by the Peninsula cities and the PVP Chamber of Commerce by posting on social media and inviting friends and neighbors to order takeout, using Tuesdays and Thursdays as a special reminder.

Residents are asked to show their support by ordering takeout or delivery, not only on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but on a regular basis throughout the coronavirus restrictions. Check the Open for Business page on the City website for a list of local restaurants offering takeout, delivery and curbside pickup.

PVPUSD School Reopening Town Hall July 1

The Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District Board of Education invites the community to a virtual Town Hall Meeting for School Reopening Planning  July 1 from 7-9 p.m. The meeting will be moderated by School Board President Suzanne Seymour. Panel participants will include:

• School board members
• Superintendent Dr. Alex Cherniss
• District staff
• Abi Fletcher MD, Program Director, Long Beach Memorial Family Medicine Residency
• Clayton Kazan MD, Medical Director, L.A. County Fire Department and former COVID-19 Testing Coordinator for L.A. County

This event will be live-streamed and the public will have an opportunity to submit questions by joining the Zoom video conference, via an online form or email.

For information on how to view the meeting and submit questions, visit pvpusd.net/townhall/

L.A. County COVID-19 Business Response Survey

Cases

As of June 29, there are 100,772 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 137 cases in Rancho Palos Verdes (population 41,731), 50 in Palos Verdes Estates (population 13,190), 22 in Rolling Hills Estates (population 8,066) and two in Rolling Hills (population 1,874). Countywide, 3,326 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.

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/