By CapRadio Staff

Updated June 19

On March 17, Sacramento County first advised residents to stay in their homes unless absolutely necessary. The county followed that advisory up with a legal order on March 19, which was originally set to extend through April 7. That order has been extended multiple times, and is now in effect until county public health officials end or change it. It was last updated June 19.

The original order followed similar orders in other California counties to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The state of California issued its own order for all residents to stay in their homes on March 19.

Sacramento County’s updated order now requires residents to wear face coverings while in public indoor spaces, and in certain other high risk situations as laid out in the state of California’s new guidance on face coverings. The updated order also now allows for nail salons, tattoo parlors, massage therapists, body artists, piercing shops and waxers to open for business with social distancing restrictions.

Here's what these orders mean for Sacramento County’s more than 1.5 million residents:

Why was the order issued?

As of June 19, there have been at least ​1,976​ confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Sacramento County and 67 deaths related to the virus.

But officials have said that without more testing it's difficult to know how many cases are in the community. They say that restricting contact between people is the only way to "flatten the curve" and reduce the number of people who get sick at the peak of an outbreak, which could overwhelm the health care system.

What does it mean to 'shelter in place'?

The order directs Sacramento County residents to continue to stay in their homes and requires residents to wear face coverings in public. It also directs residents to practice social distancing in public places when possible.

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When does it take effect?

The most recent legal order went into effect June 19 at 11:59 a.m. and lasts until rescinded or amended by county health officials.

The county’s initial directive extended indefinitely before the first legal order took effect March 19.

When can I go outside? Can I walk my dog?

Engaging in essential activities is allowed (see full list below). That includes things like trips to hospitals, grocery stores, pharmacies, hardware stores, banks and gas stations.

It's OK to do things for a go for a run or walk your dog as long you practice proper social distancing, meaning you stay at least six feet away from people not in your immediate household. But that means you shouldn't closely socialize with friends or others who don't live with you (no dinner parties or play dates).

What activities am I allowed to take part in?

Sacramento County’s updated May 26 order allows new activities under Phase 2 of the state’s reopening plan, so long as participants maintain social distancing. The June 19 order allows personal care services such as nail salons and tattoo parlors. The activities now allowed include:

Going to tattoo or piercing parlors

Going to nail salons

Massage therapy

Getting waxed

Dining in at restaurants

Taking pets to the groomer

Taking cars to the car wash

Participating in microenterprise retail or going to shopping malls

Sending children to day care

Working in person at small offices when telework is not possible

Drive-through religious services

Going to art galleries or outdoor museums

Drive-through graduation ceremonies

Going to hair salons and barber shops

Religious services at 25% of building’s capacity, up to 100 people

Political protests or political expression gatherings at 25% of the building’s capacity, up to 100 people

At this time, gatherings of any size are still banned.

These activities were already allowed under the previous orders:

Activities or tasks essential to the health and safety of you or members of your family or household (including pets), like obtaining medical supplies or medication, or visiting a health care professional for medical or dental care for chronic conditions or preventive services.

Obtaining or delivering necessary services for yourself or members of your family or household like canned food, dry goods, fresh fruits and vegetables, pet supplies, fresh meats, fish, and poultry, or cleaning products needed to maintain your home. This includes products required to work from home.

Engaging in activities like walking, hiking, biking or running, so long as you comply with social distancing requirements. Some non-contact recreational facilities and activities that include the use of shared equipment are allowed, including shooting and archery ranges, disc golf, tennis courts and boating, provided that activities are in conformance with social distancing requirements and appropriate disinfectant processes. Contact sports or activities — including basketball, football and soccer — are prohibited outside of residences. Use of recreational facilities that encourage gathering — including outdoor gym equipment, rock parks, climbing walls, pools, spas and gyms — is prohibited outside of residences.

Working at essential businesses, government entities and other nonprofit organizations.

Caring for a family member or pet in another household.

Attending a funeral with no more than 10 individuals present.

To move to a new home, but only if it is not possible to defer an already planned move, if the move is necessitated by safety, sanitation, or habitability reasons, or if the move is necessary to preserve access to shelter.

Can restaurants stay open?

Restaurants are now allowed to open for dine-in service. However, diners are only allowed to sit and eat with people within their household group. Restaurants must meet certain requirements to reopen, such as reducing diner capacity, having servers and diners wear masks and spaced out tables.

Previously, restaurants were only allowed to stay open for pickup or delivery, and bars, wineries, brewpubs and other non-essential businesses were asked to shut down. Sacramento's May 1 order allowed for food trucks to reopen.

See a full list of businesses allowed to be open here.

Should I go to my medical appointments or scheduled procedures?

Under Sacramento County’s order that was updated May 1, hospitals and health care providers are now allowed to reschedule appointments for care that was previously not considered urgent and was canceled. That includes elective procedures and preventative services like immunizations and other chronic conditions care.

Whether or not your appointment or procedure has been or will be canceled or rescheduled is up to your individual provider, though. Start by calling them to see if you should still come in for your appointment or procedure.

Preventative dental care is now allowed to resume as of May 22.

Can I take my child to daycare?

Child care, day care and family day care facilities are allowed to open under Sacramento County’s updated order, so long as they put into place required precautionary social distancing, screening and cleaning measures. You can find the CDC’s guidance for open child care facilities here.

How will this be enforced?

County health officials have asked that the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department and all chiefs of police in the county enforce the order, but does not list specific penalties for failing to follow the protocol.

I can't go to my job. What can I do?

Workers who have lost hours or whose workplaces have shut down due to COVID-19 can apply for unemployment insurance. So can people who have to miss work to care for a child whose school has closed. The state recently waived the one-week waiting period to apply for unemployment insurance.

Those who have missed work to care for a sick or quarantined family member may be eligible for paid family leave through the state.

More information on unemployment insurance and paid family leave available through the state is available here.

How does this affect homeless people?

Homeless people are to follow CDC guidance for those living outside of shelters. People who are living unsheltered are allowed to remain where they are if they don’t have access to housing or a clear plan to transport themselves to housing.

Because clearing encampments would cause people to disperse throughout the community and break connections with service providers, which would increase the potential for spreading COVID-19, encampments, cars, RVs and trailers being used as shelters are not to be cited, cleared or relocated during the outbreak.

More than 5,600 people in the county are unhoused. Advocates are concerned homeless individuals could be more at risk to the coronavirus.

What else will stay open?

These businesses are now allowed to reopen in Sacramento County as of June 19:

Nail salons

Tattoo parlors

Massage therapists

Waxing salons

Body artists

Piercing shops

These businesses and organizations were already allowed to open: