We are so excited to inform you that the State Department of Public Health (CDPH) has finally updated its website, removing its prohibition against the opening of public pools (including HOA pools), playgrounds and gyms.   This means that HOAs may begin opening these facilities, but only in accordance with their County/City guidelines.

Remember the troublesome CDPH website (https://covid19.ca.gov/roadmap-counties/) which has generated so much conflict and confusion?  The website used to say that public pools, playgrounds and picnic areas (including HOA pools), “are not permitted to operate in the State of California at this time.”  The CDPH has finally removed that prohibition from its website!

Now, the CDPH website lists various sectors, including gyms, fitness centers and outdoor recreation and states “Recommended effective date to open for these sectors is no sooner than 6/12/2020.  The following guidance should be implemented only with county health office approval…”  

CDPH guidance on fitness facilities is available at https://covid19.ca.gov/pdf/guidance-fitness.pdf and guidance on outdoor recreation is available at https://covid19.ca.gov/pdf/guidance-campgrounds.pdf   Both of these documents provide various guidelines on the operation of pools, including for maintaining proper disinfectant levels for the water, cleaning and disinfecting furniture and equipment, and changing deck layout.  Notably, “saunas, steam rooms, and hot tubs should remain closed.”

What this all means is that CDPH has officially lifted its order prohibiting the operation of public pools, playgrounds, and fitness centers, and they may all now reopen, only in accordance with applicable County/City guidelines.  We noticed that some counties such as Orange County have not yet updated their websites to reflect this new development (https://www.ochealthinfo.com/eh/water/pool), but we expect them to do so soon.

If you have any questions about your particular County or City’s guidelines and restrictions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Community Legal Advisors Inc.

Michael Alti, Esq.