Following Governor Gavin Newsom’s issuance of the statewide stay at home order, the acting chief deputy director of the state’s Office of Emergency Services (OES), Christina Curry, provided additional insight about Executive Order N-33-20 (Order). Curry highlighted the following points:
- OES is following the data in making recommendations on and acting to combat the virus.
- The Order essentially “mirrors” multiple local orders and requires what is necessary to keep Californians safe and focus healthcare resources on what is truly essential to “bend the curve” and help protect our medical capacity from being stretched beyond its limits.
- Essential services should and need to stay operational, as do their supply chains.
- It is vital for the public to be able to access to critical products and services.
- It is the intention of OES to clarify what needs to stay open and be operational (see https://covid19.ca.gov/, which will continue to be updated).
- While Californians are being asked to stay home from work/school, they may leave for critical services such as securing food.
- The governor and OES are maintaining constant collaborative communication with local and other governmental partners, and endeavoring to do the same with the private sector.
This effort is a work in progress, and more work will be done to clarify confusion arising from the Order.