DANA POINT COVID-19 COMMUNITY UPDATE JULY 24 Check our Facebook Page for the latest updates.
City: “To slow the spread of the Coronavirus and support an open and thriving economy, we must all continue practicing public safety measures – including wearing a mask when in public,” said Dana Point Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Vickie McMurchie. The City and Chamber will be sharing more information on their social media platforms and invite local business leaders to share their message about #MaskUpDP. If you would like to display #MaskUpDP signage in your place of business, click here.
Local COVID-19 Testing: Rapid testing is available at Laguna Dana Urgent Care, click here for more details.
Did you know 359 tons of debris was removed from our streets by the street sweeper in 2019. Litter and debris on our streets can end up in the ocean. The City has resumed enforcement of No Parking Zones for Street Sweeping. Please move your vehicles for street sweeping and help us keep debris and pollutants from affecting ocean water quality.
County: In the County press conference yesterday, three important updates were discussed by County officials. The first was the announcement of the early release of thousands of inmates statewide to curb the spread of COVID-19 in prisons. Orange County is expected to receive 176 newly released inmates, and potentially more of the statewide 8,000 inmates that are slated to be released. County probation officials are also concerned that resources will be stretched thin under the post-release community supervision program. The State has not given the County any additional funding or resources to manage the supervision of parolees. To hear the County's Chief Probation Officer's comments, click here.
The second update was in regards to a local waiver process elementary schools can apply for to resume in-person classes. The County Health Care Agency is working through the details of the waiver program with State authorities, but the idea, “based on the current best available scientific evidence,” is that the risks that children under 12 would transmit the coronavirus to adults would be low, compared to transmission by older children and adults. The County Health Officer will be studying local epidemiological data and plans to breakdown data by zip code further to list cases with specific age ranges of children. Read more about the waivers here.
The third update was the bolstering of contact tracing. The County has 185 staff dedicated to coronavirus tracing, has contracted to add another 33, and has an option to add additional tracers if needed.
Under a plan authored by Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do, restaurants in Orange County that have followed health safety rules and complied with State COVID-19 health guidelines will be eligible to apply for a $1,000 grant from the County. Click here to read more.
The County has opened a COVID-19 testing “super site” in Anaheim to ramp up testing. The drive-through testing center at Anaheim Convention Center is targeting 600-800 tests per day with a goal of reaching 1,200 per day. Appointments are required, click here to learn more.
If you are interested in additional COVID-19 testing, whether asymptomatic, or symptomatic please visit lhi.care/covidtesting or call 1(888) 634-1123 to schedule an appointment.
Sheriff Don Barnes sent a letter to Governor Newsom to clarify his enforcement strategy related to COVID-19. The Sheriff continues to take an educational approach to public health orders, but will move beyond education in instances where egregious violations occur. Read his letter here.
Following guidance from the State, the County issued a statement that youth sports activities including practices will be postponed until further direction is provided from the State.
For the latest information on number of cases, positivity rate and more for COVID-19 in Orange County visit: occovid19.ochealthinfo.com.
Call OC Health Care Agency Health Referral Line 1(833) 426-6411 for inquiries related to novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Orange County.
State: Governor Newsom announced the State has purchased 420 million new protective masks, and will maintain a stockpile of 100 million N-95 respirators and 200 million surgical masks to increase preparedness heading into the fall.
The State has also updated the "Businesses and Employers" page on the covid19.ca.gov website with assistance programs for small businesses and employers impacted by COVID-19. The page includes a a new Employer Playbook for Safe Reopening.
Counties on the State’s COVID-19 monitoring list, which includes Orange County, will open their school year with distance learning. A county on the monitoring list must meet State benchmarks for 14 consecutive days to be removed from the monitoring list and have the option to begin safe in-person school under State School and School-based programs guidance. See County section for more on the elementary school waiver.
Additional closures are still in place for counties that are on the State’s monitoring list. Closures include fitness centers, places of worship and cultural ceremonies, indoor protests, offices for non-critical infrastructure sectors, personal care services, hair salons and barbershops, and malls. No end date was specified for the closures.
Additional information on the guidance for the use of face coverings from the California Department of Public Health can be found here.
Federal: Senate Republicans are working on what could be another recovery package that would include a second stimulus payment. The $1 trillon legislation is still under negotiation, but is expected to be released on Monday.
The extra $600 in weekly unemployment benefits, provided by the Federal government, is set to expire July 31. According to the Department of Labor more than 1.4 million people applied for jobless benefits last week, up from 1.3 million the previous week. Some employers have expressed concerns that the boost to unemployment benefits has made it difficult to find workers.
The first COVID-19 vaccine tested performed the way scientists had hoped, bolstering people's immune systems against the virus. The vaccine will move on to final testing. Read more about it here.
There are several updates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) including the extension of the No Sail Order for cruise ships through September 30, 2020, and the tracking of data of COVID-19 during pregnancy.
On Saturday July 4th, President Trump signed a new law to extend the Paycheck Protection Program through August 8th. The U.S. Small Business Administration, in consultation with the Treasury Department, announced it was releasing detailed loan-level data regarding the loans made under the Paycheck Protection Program. This disclosure covers each of the 4.9 million PPP loans that have been made.
Services and Resources Directory is now housed on the COVID-19 page on the City’s website. New services and resources will be shared in this update, then moved over to the City’s COVID-19 webpage. You can access that information here.
Facility Closures Dana Point Community Center
Grocery Stores/ Market Hours
Most stores have returned to regular shopping hours. Face Coverings are required per the Orange County Health Officer's recent order.
ALBERTSONS (Del Obispo, (949) 496-7900):
Bag your own personal shopping bags.
Seniors & those with disabilities/pregnant/compromised immune system: Mon-Fri, 6am-7am
Regular Store Hours: Daily, 7am-11pm
COSTCO (Doheny Park Rd, San Juan Capistrano, (949) 240-3558):
Optical, Hearing and Photo Departments are now open
LINE BYPASS: First Responders and Health Care Workers can bypass the line all day. Bring Work ID and Costco Membership Card; no guests.
Members are welcome to bring their children and up to two guests into the warehouse
Seniors 60yrs+ & those with physical disabilities: Mon-Fri, 9am-10am
Regular Store Hours: Mon-Fri, 10am-8:30pm; Sat, 9:30am-6pm; Sun, 10am-6pm
GELSON'S (Monarch Bay Plaza, (949) 488-8147):
No personal shopping bags.
Seniors 65yrs+: 7am-8am
Regular Store Hours: 8am-9pm
RALPH'S (Lantern District, (949) 661-4145, and Ocean Ranch, (949) 661-6334)
Personal bags ok.
Seniors 60yrs+ and those considered high risk: 6am-7:30am
Regular Store Hours: 7:30am - Midnight
SMART & FINAL (Doheny Park Rd, (949) 240-4641):
Bag your own personal bags in the cart, not on the counter.
Seniors 65yrs+, those with disabilities and expectant mothers: Tue/Thu, 6am-8am
Regular Store Hours: 6am-10pm
STATER BROS (Camino de los Mares, San Clemente, (949) 496-8283):
No personal shopping bags.
Seniors 65yrs+ priority access: Tue/Fri: 7am-8am
Regular Store Hours: 7am-11pm
SPROUTS (550 Camino de Estrella, San Clemente, (949) 542-1036):
Bag your own personal bags in the cart, not on the counter.
Regular Store Hours: 7am-10pm
TRADER JOES (Ocean Ranch (949) 493-8599 and Camino de los Mares (949) 240-9996)
No personal shopping bags.
Seniors expedited line: 8am-9am
Regular Store Hours: 9am-8pm
City Hall
33282 Golden Lantern, Dana Point, CA 92629 (949) 248-3500
