Surprise! Red Tier Now Begins Sunday; Downtown Disney Restaurants???

TP2000

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I know it seems like we don't need yet another thread talking about how Disneyland is still closed, but it seems like this is news that some folks may need and that shouldn't be buried in a months old thread with an unrelated title. So I apologize in advance if this is redundant, but it seems important enough (judging by the blaring headlines on the TV news right now).

Southern California, including Orange County, has just been placed into a "Regional Stay-At-Home-Order", and this news was oddly released at about 10pm on Friday night.

That means the following services/products currently offered at Downtown Disney are now limited to;
  • Outdoor Patio Dining Is Closed
  • Retail Capacity Must Be Limited To 20% Of Indoor Capacity
  • No Outdoor Food/Drinks May Be Offered
  • Only Packaged To-Go Food Orders May Be Sold By Downtown Disney Restaurants
Also, hotels are now closed entirely. So the reopening of the DVC units at the Grand Californian Hotel this weekend has been cancelled, although that's being discussed in that specific thread.

This order is triggered because the overall ICU capacity in Southern California went below 15% at some point on Friday, although also on Friday the ICU capacity in Orange County itself actually increased to 20%. But apparently the old rules from August doing this county by county no longer apply, and now "regions" are being held to a standard that crosses county lines.

It's all a bit confusing still, but there we are. It is yet to be seen how Downtown Disney businesses and restaurants will respond, or what will be open this weekend. This news and information is all coming out late on Friday night Pacific time. (How that timing and communication style was chosen is fascinating in itself!)


"Orange County and all of Southern California received word late Friday, Dec. 4, that its diminishing intensive care capacity will thrust the region into the most restrictive stay-at-home order since March.

The move, based on an order from the state, will prohibit private gatherings of any size, require masks in public and shut down more non-essential businesses.

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday said the state was on the brink of a serious shortage of intensive care beds and that any of five California regions that dropped below 15% ICU bed availability would trigger for themselves a new lockdown for at least three weeks.

Region 5, which includes Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino and several other Southern California counties, fell to a 13.1% capacity on ICU beds.

The new state order goes into effect at 12:59 p.m. Saturday and gives local health officials 24 hours to implement the regional stay-at-home restrictions, meaning Southern California will have until Sunday afternoon to enact them.

The order adds new restrictions to the kaleidoscope of business and public sector guidelines, again closing hair salons, playgrounds and museums and forcing restaurants to rely on takeaway and delivery orders.

Retailers will have to cut admittance indoors to 20%, though many already were running at a quarter or half capacity inside, per purple tier rules. Schools that already are teaching in-person can keep doing so."
 
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TP2000

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
It should be noted for those holding dining reservations for Downtown Disney or Carthay Circle, that per Governor Newsom this stay-at-home order lasts a minimum of 3 weeks.

So that takes us to Saturday, December 26th that all current dining reservations would be automatically cancelled.

Thank goodness I already made arrangements with my butcher for a big prime rib roast for my Christmas dinner party! But those who were planning on eating at Carthay Circle or Catal will need to make new plans for Christmas.
 

King Racoon 77

Thank you sir. You were an inspiration.
Premium Member
Probably implemented so late in the pm as to avoid a rush of last minute bookings seen in other jurisdictions that have given advance notice of shutdowns.
 

TP2000

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Probably implemented so late in the pm as to avoid a rush of last minute bookings seen in other jurisdictions that have given advance notice of shutdowns.

Could be. Although for Downtown Disney all the reservations are booked weeks in advance, so that won't be a problem for them. The problem for Downtown Disney is somehow communicating to the thousands of people with reservations for the next three weeks that they are all cancelled.

I assume the Disney Dining app has the functionality to contact a few thousand reservation holders and tell them their dinner has been cancelled. So at least there's some good news! If it weren't for modern technology, you'd need an army of phone operators calling everyone to cancel their reservations through December 27th.

But still, now you've got a lot of restaurants that have pantries and refrigerators stocked with food for the weekend that won't be needed or used suddenly.
 
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TP2000

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
What is not clear is how a business plans for the next 3 weeks in this new The Rules Have Changed Again Plan 3.0.

This Regional Stay-At-Home Order appears to replace and cancel the previous Four Tier Color-Coded Blueprint For A Safer Economy that was released four months ago.

So when a Region goes below 15% ICU capacity, even though today Orange County's ICU capacity increased 3% in one day to 20%, the Stay-At-Home Order kicks in and lasts for a "minimum of three weeks". But then how is that 3 week period tracked? This was announced at 10pm on a Friday night, and it takes effect at 12:59pm on Saturday afternoon.

But then what happens on Sunday if the ICU capacity goes above 15%? Does the clock start ticking on the 3 week window for a December 27th reopening? But then if next Friday the Region's ICU capacity dips below 15% again, I assume the 3 week window resets and you have to start again? And then if the ICU capacity rises to above 15% the following Monday, does that start the 3 week countdown again for a January 4th reopening?

How does a business, say a restaurant in Downtown Disney, plan for that? They just have to keep resetting and starting over until.... when? At what point can they call their kitchen supply guy and restock the pantry and walk-in fridge with fresh food for a few thousand meals?

I can't even imagine trying to be a small businessman running a family restaurant and trying to manage that process. And with the dearth of details and communication involved. Yeesh!
 
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SuddenStorm

Well-Known Member
What is still not clear is how a business plans for the next three weeks in this new The Rules Have Changed Again plan. This Regional Stay-At-Home Order appears to replace and cancel the previous Four Tier Color-Coded Blueprint For A Safer Economy that was released four months ago.

Now that's a good point. Does the old color tier still apply? But with even more caveats?

I'd say this qualifies as yet another shifting goalpost. I didn't see it linked here yet, but here's the footage of Newsom and his team of medical professionals issuing the new stay at home orders-

 

TP2000

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Also, for those wanting to print out this map and post it on your fridge, the SoCal Region appears to be the following counties all lumped in together from Mono County in the High Sierras down to San Diego County on the Mexican border. The "SoCal Region" of 11 wildly different counties encompasses a total of 23 Million people!

No wonder Orange County, with a mere 3.2 Million people, didn't matter when the ICU capacity increased today to 20%. "SoCal" is now a giant region to have to manage to. With just slightly less than the entire population of Australia.


FINAL%20CORRECTED%20WEB%20COVID%20REGION.jpg
 
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MoonRakerSCM

Well-Known Member
If you've never seen the Eastern Sierras when they're in full color mode as above, I highly suggest making the effort at least once. Key is to keep tabs on it during the fall and the MOMENT it has burst, GO. The trees will suddenly look like the photo above and will be twigs 3-4 days later. It is utterly spectacular if you can catch it on a bright sunny blue day.
 

MoonRakerSCM

Well-Known Member
There's a new brewery opening 'soon' in Bishop, I've been following them on Facebook. I have told them that the moment they open, I'll be stopping by for sure during one of my rockhounding trips up there. I hope they make it... they've been optimistic through the year... Rain Shadow Brewing if anyone is interested (GREAT name!)
 

TP2000

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
If you've never seen the Eastern Sierras when they're in full color mode as above, I highly suggest making the effort at least once. Key is to keep tabs on it during the fall and the MOMENT it has burst, GO. The trees will suddenly look like the photo above and will be twigs 3-4 days later. It is utterly spectacular if you can catch it on a bright sunny blue day.

It does look beautiful. It's a shame it's 400 miles north of Anaheim, and I just finished a 2 day road trip from Oregon so I'm in no mood to drive right now.

But then, now that Mono County is in SoCal, psychologically it won't be a big deal.

Like jetting down the 55 to Fashion Island on a Saturday afternoon. Or taking Lincoln Avenue all the way to Beach Blvd. for Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant.
 

TP2000

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Lincoln/395, same thing!

Completely.

Seriously, isn't that map above great?!? I heard John & Ken on KFI talking about this on the radio this afternoon, but I didn't quite understand what they were saying. I mean, it made no sense that Mono County way up in the Sierras would be part of "SoCal". Plus I was maneuvering through Pasadena traffic on the 210 at the time, so I was distracted.

But now that I see this map.... it's perfection! Absolute perfection that only Sacramento could provide.

You just can't make this crap up. You can't.
 

TP2000

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Now that's a good point. Does the old color tier still apply? But with even more caveats?

I have no idea. I don't think anyone does.

But what is apparent is that this new Regional thing overrules any previous guidance offered under the Four-Tier Blueprint For A Safer Economy that we've been using since waaaaaaay back in August. It's been four months. We needed something new, don't you think?

What is unfortunate for Downtown Disney, is this all new Regional process seems to shut down all Downtown Disney food service and limit shopping in stores to 20% capacity. That's gonna hurt. If not just close it entirely again.

The Downtown Disney restaurants are really hosed, because they can't reall do Doordash or convenient pickup. There is nothing convenient about going to Downtown Disney. It only existed because it was next door to Disneyland.
 

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