BREAKING: Mayor Garcetti Issues Emergency City-Wide "Safer at Home" Order

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has issued an emergency "Safer at Home" order. The order, which will go into effect on Thursday, March 19 at 11:59 p.m., mandates that all individuals living in the City of Los Angeles must remain at home or at their place of residence unless engaged in "essential activities." The order will be in place until April 19, 2020, but may be extended before then.

Essential activities are defined as seeking healthcare — including mental healthcare — obtaining medication, groceries, or any other consumer product necessary to maintain safety and sanitation at home, and legally-mandated government purposes. In addition, residents may also go to restaurants for take-out or drive-thru, go outside for exercise or to walk pets, and help someone get necessary supplies. Those who leave home for any of these reasons are required to maintain a social distance of six-feet away from others and follow social distancing guidelines, such as washing your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, avoiding touching your face, and covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze.

Residents may not go to work unless they are providing essential services. Essential services will remain open, including gas stations, banks, laundromats, pharmacies, grocery stores, farmers markets, food banks, convenient stores, and take-out and delivery at restaurants. In addition, essential local and state government agencies, such as law enforcement agencies, fire stations, and garbage/sanitation will remain open and operational. 

Dine-in restaurants, movie theaters, bars and nightclubs, entertainment venues, gyms, and public events and gatherings are closed. Residents are not allowed to visit loved ones at hospitals, nursing care facilities, or other residential care facilities.

"The virus spreads easily, and this Order is intended to prevent the spread of this disease from overwhelming our healthcare system," states the City guide to Coronavirus. "The goal here is to 'flatten the curve' to slow down the spread of the virus and ensure we have adequate health care resources for those who get sick with COVID-19 and those who need emergency medical care for accidents, heart attacks, strokes, and other routine medical conditions."

The order is legally enforceable, and failure to comply may result in a fine or imprisonment. However, Los Angeles residents who are experiencing homelessness are exempt from the stay-at-home order. Mayor Garcetti's office announced yesterday that Los Angeles will add 1,600 emergency shelter beds in 13 City recreation centers by the end of the week, with plans to increase other locations.

During a press briefing, Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger explained why the order is being put in place. "The order, which we are calling 'Safer at Home,' is the next step to protecting our residents from Coronavirus by increasing social distancing," she explained. "We know that staying home and limiting close contact is the best way to prevent community spread. We know that social distancing does not mean restriction from going outside and does not mean isolation."

Barger added, "We know this will have an impact on the social fabric of our communities. We are striving to minimize this burden while protecting the overall health and well-being of our residents...We don't have to maintain these restrictions indefinitely, and they will have valuable long-term effects." 

During the press briefing, Mayor Garcetti stressed the importance of staying at home. "What we do, and how we do it, and if we get this right will determine how long this crisis lasts," he said. "It is all of us who have the fate of this crisis in our hands, through our actions and our decisions."

Moments after Mayor Garcetti's order, California Governor Gavin Newsom has issued a similar "Stay at Home" order effective immediately. 

More information is available at https://corona-virus.la/faq and https://covid19.ca.gov.