As reported by Monterey County Weekly journalist Mary Duan on Twitter:

As of 12:01am on March 18, 2020, Monterey County residents are ordered to shelter at place of residence except to receive or provide essential services or work for essential services. All government non-essential operations are to cease. All gatherings and non essential travel to cease.

Data shows rate of increase is exponential and although only two cases, if we don’t act now we can see ourselves in same situation as Santa Clara County. Order effective until 11:59pm on April 7.

Certain services will remain open, including police and fire, hospitals, jails, garbage, utilities, gas stations, groceries, food banks, take out and delivery restaurants. No dinner parties, no friends over, no manicures or pedicures, no shopping, no taking trips on public transit unless necessary. This order is enforceable by local law enforcement.

Patients should not delay seeking necessary healthcare. The order allows for online delivery services like from grocery stores. Taxis can be used and ride share can be used all only for essential services.

Grocery stores will remain open so people can travel to purchase necessary items. Some people want to know if they can leave homes to provide care to fam or loved ones, answer is yes. But please stay out of hospitals and skilled nursing centers. Each facility has to determine its own visitor policies.

The order allows people to leave homes to take a walk, walk the dog, jog or hike. Moreno’s order will be posted online this afternoon.

This is a move to decrease spread and decrease cases, Moreno says. Implementing these orders is not going to prevent further cases, but by locking down now, we can spread out the number of cases over a longer time and if we can do that, it will reduce overload on hospitals and healthcare providers. No large surge of patients because of it.

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