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

PVPUSD Update

On August 5, Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified Superintendent Dr. Alex Cherniss provided an update on school reopening plans during the Board of Education meeting. Watch Dr. Cherniss’ presentation and read public comments at bit.ly/2DllOEa

As a reminder, the L.A. County Department of Public Health announced it will not consider in-person learning waivers for schools at this time due to new guidance from the California Department of Public Health, which recommends that counties with case rates at (or above) 200 cases per 100,000 residents do not extend waivers for the reopening of classroom instruction for students in grades TK-6.

Last Chance: Alert SouthBay Community Survey #3

The Alert SouthBay cities, including Rancho Palos Verdes, want to hear from you about your COVID-19 concerns and what kind of information you need and care about most. Your feedback is incredibly valuable in helping us learn how to best address your concerns during these unprecedented times. The survey will remain open until tomorrow, August 7, at 8 a.m. Complete the survey at the following link: surveymonkey.com/r/FMY7PY

18-49 Year Olds Make Up Nearly 60% of New COVID Cases

The COVID-19 epidemic in L.A. County continues to affect younger residents. According to data shared this week by the L.A. County Department of Public Health (DPH) and the Department of Health Services (DHS), trends continue to show a steep increase in the number cases and hospitalizations among L.A. County's young adult population.

Cases

DPH announced residents between the ages of 18 and 49 years old make up nearly 60% of new COVID-19 cases in L.A. County - and those between 30 and 49 years of age have the highest rate among ALL age groups.

In the above slide, the blue line (which represents adults ages 30-49) has the highest case rate among all age groups in LA County. The yellow line (which represents people ages 18-29) shows how case rates have quadrupled for this group from nearly 200 cases in early June to a peak of 882 on July 23. This explosive growth in cases shows that young adults are driving the infections in the county.

Hospitalizations

But rates of new cases aren’t the only concern for young adults. Younger residents are also being hospitalized more than before. In fact, people between the ages of 30 and 49 years old account for 25% of hospitalized patients in L.A. County. According to DHS, patients 18 to 29 years old now account for more than twice the proportion of ALL hospitalizations than they did in April - and they match the hospitalization rate of people 80 years or older.

Young patients, including those with no underlying health conditions, are arriving to emergency departments unable to breathe. Sadly, many are requiring hospitalization or mechanical ventilation, too. No one is invincible.

Help us slow the spread of COVID-19 among ALL populations by complying with the public health directives in place -- continue to wear a face covering, continue to practice physical distance and continue to avoid gathering with people you don’t live with.

Coming Soon: Reopening Protocols for Colleges and Universities

The L.A. County Department of Public Health (DPH) has urged colleges and universities in the county to have plans in place for the continuation of distance learning, given the recent increases in COVID-19 cases, test positivity rate, and hospitalizations in the county. Currently, colleges and universities remain closed statewide, except where supporting essential workforce activities.

DPH is working closely with the state to ensure that when students return to campuses, the environment will be safe for all. Once state guidance is updated, DPH will release a Reopening Protocol for Institutes of Higher Education to assist colleges and universities plan toward the eventual return to in-person instruction. Stay tuned!

Tips for Protecting Yourself or Your Business from COVID-19

Dr. William Kim has been a physician in the South Bay for 35 years and serves as Chief Medical Advisor for Beach Cities Health District. In his latest blog post, he provides tips for businesses and individuals dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic:

With COVID-19 all over the news and social media and cases surging, many residents are anxious to get tested for COVID-19. Not everyone needs to be tested, but we do need to stay informed about the virus and its symptoms. Most important, all of us should still follow the basic steps individuals and businesses can take to protect themselves – and our community – from this virus. Here are some tips to keep in mind…

Read more at https://bchd.org/tips-protecting-yourself-or-your-business-covid-1

Have Your Employees Tested Positive?

Employers: You can help prevent outbreaks in the workplace by reporting when you have three or more confirmed COVID-19 cases within 14 days by calling the L.A. County Public Health Department at 1-888-397-3993 or 213-240-7821.

ICYMI: Reopening Protocols for Youth Sports Leagues

On August 5, the L.A. County Department of Public Health issued a Reopening Protocol for Youth Sports Leagues. The recen­tly issued protocol applies to:

• recreational youth sports leagues
• club sports
• travel sports
• and sports sponsored by private and public schools serving students in TK-12 schools

This protocol is not intended for adult sports leagues (including collegiate sports, or amateur adult sports), which must remain closed per the State Health Officer Order. Until further notice, all youth sports activities must also take place outdoors.

Looking for a fun outdoor activity for your kids?

National Park and Recreation Month is over, but you can still play Agents of Discovery at Hesse Park and Eastview Park! The self-guided, mobile educational game will be available at both locations through September 30.

Kids and their families can play by downloading the Agents of Discovery app to access RPV’s “missions” (games). Players that complete all the challenges will receive a gift bag from the Recreation and Parks Department!

To download the free Agents of Discovery app, go to Google Play or the App Store. Once downloaded, find our missions within the app and hit “play” before you head out. No WiFi connectivity is required to download or play the missions.

Free Virtual Art Classes for Older Adults

Discover the healing properties of art therapy with free virtual art classes for older adults presented by BlueSea Care every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Register at bit.ly/2X7doqz

If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact the Recreation and Parks Department at 310-544-5260 or parks@rpvca.gov. If you are a person with a disability and need an accommodation to participate in programs, services, activities and meetings, contact the City's ADA Coordinator/Risk Manager at 310-683-3157, adarequests@rpvca.gov, 30940 Hawthorne Blvd., Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275, at least 48 hours in advance to request an auxiliary aid or accommodation.

New Temporary Special Use Permit for RPV Businesses

The Community Development Department has developed a new Temporary Special Use Permit (TSUP) to assist Rancho Palos Verdes businesses with the opportunity to provide limited outdoor operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. A TSUP will allow for outdoor operations on sidewalks and parking lots for: 

• Restaurants
• Fitness centers
• Hair salons and barbershops
• Personal care services, such as nail salons, massage, and tattoo parlors

A TSUP will be processed administratively without a filing fee, public notification, or appeal process that is typically required for a standard Special Use Permit. For a complete list of operational requirements and permit limitations, please see the TSUP application at bit.ly/3gcLFME. For questions regarding the application or submittal requirements, please contact the Planning Division at 310-544-5228 or send an email to the Planning Division at planning@rpvca.gov.

Cases

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/