01/03/2022 | News release | Distributed by Public on 01/03/2022 19:43
Effective Tuesday, January 4, 2022, Huntington Beach will join other coastal cities in temporarily closing City Hall due to the substantial increase of COVID-19 cases in Huntington Beach and Orange County. Orange County is reporting a 400% increase in COVID-19 cases since mid-December, primarily due to the highly transmissible Omicron variant. With the exponential growth of new cases, it is critical for the City to enact this closure to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 among City staff and to ensure adequate staffing levels across all departments, including Police and Fire.
Most City services will remain in place, but in-person City Hall services will be temporarily unavailable beginning Tuesday, January 4, 2022. Residents and businesses are encouraged to make use of the City's online services and tools during this period. The City will continue to monitor the number of COVID-19 cases in Huntington Beach and Orange County over the next 10-14 days and determine whether reopening City Hall is appropriate at that time.
Anticipated impacts to City services are as follows:
The City's parks and beaches remain open, but physical distancing and face masks are encouraged. The City's community centers, libraries and other community facilities remain open for contract classes, but face masks are required indoors.
The City will be releasing additional details relating to the closure and service impacts on www.SurfCityBreak.com and through the City's Nextdoor, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.