Orange County Coronavirus: Al Fresco Salons, Services, Schools

Ashley Ludwig
Updated ·4 min read

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — On Tuesday, Orange County businesses are once again seeing a light at the end of the tunnel, thanks to the sun, fresh air and summer weather. New reopening guidelines for hair care and services are now being worked out across the county even as countywide coronavirus totals and hospitalizations increase.

On Tuesday, health officials reported 20 more coronavirus deaths, raising the death toll to 513. An additional 990 residents tested positive for COVID-19 as of Tuesday, bringing the cumulative Orange County coronavirus case load to 30,976.

Hospitalizations remain on the rise in the county, with 700 people currently in the hospital due to coronavirus as of Tuesday afternoon. Of those, 234 are being cared for in intensive care units, according to the Orange County Health Care Agency.

Of the total deaths, 234 were skilled nursing facility residents and 17 were assisted living facility residents, and 2 were experiencing homelessness.

On Tuesday, the county recorded an additional 6,684 tests. They have administered 366,584 coronavirus tests and estimates 15,232 recoveries, the HCA reported.

In Orange County, here are Monday's coronavirus totals by city:

  • Aliso Viejo: 235

  • Anaheim: 5,316

  • Brea: 278

  • Buena Park: 850

  • Costa Mesa: 985

  • Coto de Caza: 19

  • Cypress: 294

  • Dana Point: 160

  • Fountain Valley: 315

  • Fullerton: 1,433

  • Garden Grove: 1,627

  • Huntington Beach: 1,495

  • Irvine: 1,024

  • La Habra: 711

  • La Palma: 103

  • Ladera Ranch: 102

  • Laguna Beach: 114

  • Laguna Hills: 190

  • Laguna Niguel: 241

  • Laguna Woods: 36

  • Lake Forest: 480

  • Los Alamitos: 143

  • Midway City: 57

  • Mission Viejo: 497

  • Newport Beach: 725

  • Orange: 1,429

  • Placentia: 574

  • Rancho Mission Viejo: 44

  • Rancho Santa Margarita: 210

  • Rossmoor: 26 (no change)

  • San Clemente: 280

  • San Juan Capistrano: 219

  • Santa Ana: 5,823

  • Seal Beach: 169

  • Silverado: 38 (no change)

  • Stanton: 365

  • Trabuco Canyon: 131

  • Tustin: 708

  • Villa Park: 35 (no change)

  • Westminster: 575

  • Yorba Linda: 422

Orange County is on the state's watch list for counties experiencing high rates of new cases and hospitalizations. It has shown some improvement, but with some continuing concerns.

The county's case rate per 100,000 residents dropped down from 230.5 on Sunday to 183.3, but is still far higher than the California Department of Public Health threshold of 25 per 100,000 residents.

The change in three-day average of hospitalized patients dropped from - 1.1 percent, to -2.6 percent on Tuesday, lower than the state's threshold of 10 percent

Also the county's intensive care unit beds available fell from 41 percent to 39.4 percent on Tuesday, and the percent of ventilators available rose from 61.5 percent to 64 percent. The state's threshold is 20 percent of ICU beds available to handle a surge and 25 percent ventilators on hand.

This week, Gov. Gavin Newsom released new guidelines for personal care businesses in the highly watched Orange County. Information on how schools for the younger set, K-5 schools might reopen to in classroom learning was also shared with the state.

On Tuesday, Dr. Mark Ghaly, California's Health Secretary, announced that "watch list county" school districts, like those in Orange County, can apply to their local health departments for a waiver allowing elementary schools to "hold in-person classes during the 2020-21 school year."

The update follows Friday's announcement by Gov. Gavin Newsom that school districts in watch-list counties were required to start the upcoming school year with an online-only model to help prevent COVID-19 spread.

According to Dr. Ghaly, the idea for allowing elementary schools to reopen is based in part on a South Korean study released this week that traced how children spread COVID-19.

In Dr. Ghaly's Study, it was determined that children under 10 spread the virus at lower rates, while older children transmit the virus similar to adults.

On Monday the state released updated guidelines for hair salons and barbershops as well as updated guidance for other personal care services. The city of Newport Beach has already opened an application process for business owners who are looking to go al fresco on their salon services, with more cities to follow.

On July 13, the state ordered that gyms; hair, nail, and other personal-care salons; tattoo parlors; houses of worship; malls; and non-critical office settings move outdoors or close.
The updated information shows the challenges associated with an outdoor move, including dealing with summer heat and disinfection protocols, among others.

Full coronavirus coverage: Coronavirus In California: What To Know

This article originally appeared on the Orange County Patch