We know residents are eager for things to get back to normal, to go back to the beach and use the trails that Southern California is known for – but it’s not that time yet. Continue to do your part – especially by staying home as much as possible and practicing physical distancing if you must go out – so that we can keep our most vulnerable populations and community safe. Let’s do it for our friends, essential workers who are staffing our grocery stores and delivering our food, our older neighbors who live down the street. Together, we will make it to the other side.

While we continue to stay the course to slow the spread of COVID-19, we begin to look ahead and start planning for recovery, as a state, county and South Bay community.

Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom outlined six critical indicators that the state will consider before modifying the Stay at Home Order:

• The ability to monitor and protect our communities through testing, contact tracing, isolating, and supporting those who are positive or exposed
• The ability to prevent infection in people who are at risk for more severe COVID-19
• The ability of the hospital and health systems to handle surges
• The ability to develop therapeutics to meet the demand
• The ability for businesses, schools, and childcare facilities to support physical distancing
• The ability to determine when to reinstitute certain measures, such as the Stay at Home Orders, if necessary

Gov. Gavin Newsom said there is not a precise timeline for modifying the state’s Stay at Home Order, but that these six indicators will serve as the framework for making that decision.

Los Angeles County considerations for recovery are consistent with that of the state and include widespread capacity for testing, protecting the most vulnerable populations and the continued ability to handle patients who need healthcare services, all to flatten the curve.

Beach Cities Health District is following guidance from the state and county to inform our plans for recovery here in the Beach Cities. Beach Cities Health District, the mayors from Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, Torrance and El Segundo joined Los Angeles District 4 Supervisor Janice Hahn on a conference call on Friday, April 17 to discuss plans for recovery in the South Bay once the Health Officer Order is lifted.

Using Gov. Gavin Newsom’s six critical indicators as a framework and keeping the health and well-being of residents as top priority, Beach Cities Health District created a phased recovery plan for the Beach Cities. The following are thresholds or triggers that need to happen for us to move into the next phase of recovery:

• Sustained reduction in cases for at least 14 days
• Widespread testing and contact tracing
• Ability of our healthcare system to handle surges

We are following the lead of the state and county to determine when it is safe for us to resume events and reopen our facilities to the public including our Center for Health & Fitness, AdventurePlex, and administrative offices at 514 N. Prospect and Del Amo.