Napa County 'Strongly Recommends' Face Coverings: Coronavirus

NAPA COUNTY, CA — Napa County's Shelter-At-Home Order was extended and revised Wednesday to include a strong recommendation that community members wear face coverings as an additional strategy for preventing the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus.

According to the order, the county strongly recommends all members of the community, including essential services workers, wear face coverings when in public or in shared spaces.

Face coverings are not a substitute for complying with shelter-at-home orders, maintaining physical distancing, and quality hand washing, according to a news release from the county. Face coverings should not be worn by children aged 2 or younger and are not recommended for children under the age of 6, or for anyone who may have difficulty breathing, difficulty removing the covering from their face or when it would create a safety hazard, the county said.

"The Napa County community has followed past guidance and complied with orders provided by Public Health," County Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Relucio said. "While public health orders are legally enforceable, and local law enforcement is charged with their enforcement, we are mindful that enforcement resources across the county are limited. Our goal is to encourage behavior change to guidance related to physical distancing, handwashing and wearing of cloth face coverings when in public, through collective action and mutual accountability."

The revised Shelter-At-Home Order requires continued compliance with the public health guidelines issued by the county March 20 and amended on April 3. The order is effective immediately and is to remain in effect until it is rescinded, superseded or amended by the county's public health officer, or after California Gov. Gavin Newsom issues further guidance or amendments to the statewide order.

In addition to the strong recommendation for wearing facial coverings, Wednesday's order includes the following revisions:

• Allows construction in the county with proper physical distancing protocols.
• Allows drive-in religious services with proper physical distancing protocols.
• Allows in-person real estate agent-client residential viewings with proper protocols.
• Allows landscaping and gardening maintenance that is not purely for cosmetic purposes
• Allows the use of golf courses and driving ranges with documented protocols that are outlined Appendix C of the revised order.
• Restricts bocce ball and cornhole sports.
• Empowers the police chiefs and city attorneys to ensure compliance of all aspects of this order within their jurisdiction.

"The amendments to this order were crafted after thoughtful discussions with State and Northern California public health officials and based on modeling data and local epidemiological factors that have demonstrated the impact the shelter-at-home order has had on flattening the curve and preventing the mass spread of illness in Napa County," Relucio said.

The amended order is posted to Napa County's website.