California DMV Offices Close To The Public Amid Coronavirus

LOS ANGELES, CA — All 170 California Department of Motor Vehicles field offices will close to the public indefinitely starting Friday, according to multiple reports.

A memo sent to employees Thursday directed them to stay home Friday and that they will be placed on paid leave due to health concerns about the coronavirus outbreak, according to the Los Angeles Times, which reviewed the memo.

In the memo, the department's Field Operations Deputy Director Coleen Solomon wrote that the DMV is "taking steps to address employee health and safety concerns, including public contact and increasing social distancing between individuals."

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While Staffers will return to work on Wednesday after the offices have cleaned and disinfected, the DMV offices will remain closed to the public indefinitely, the Times reported. Staffers will continue to handle online services.

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The decision to close the DMV doors to the public was made possible after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security postponed the deadline for states to issue Real IDS. Instead of having millions trudge to the DMV to be thumb-printed and photographed to meet the deadline this year, residents now have until October of 2021 to obtain the Real IDs.