Planning for an expanded exterior to accomodate COVID-19 safeguards? Draft an application and conceptual layout and submit to CDDinfo@TorranceCA.Gov for review. 
Filing Fee is curently free, courtesy of The Office of Economic Development 

Reopening Guidelines

Los Angeles County has worked together to slow the spread of COVID-19 by following the Safer at Home order. As we plan for recovery and the gradual relaxing of Safer at Home, we are sharing the Department of Public Health’s Roadmap to Recovery. This provides goalposts for reopening as safely as possible.
As of April 14, 2021, the County of Los Angeles Health Officer has issued a Revised Order that adds new reopening protocols for Indoor Seated Live Events and Guidance for Informal Social Gatherings.
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Please see most current list of businesses allowed to open and associated protocols.
Reopening
  • Establish and maintain communication with the Torrance Office of Economic Development at 310-618-5807 or EconomicDevelopment@TorranceCA.Gov to determine current mitigation levels in the community during all Stages.
  • Assign vulnerable workers duties that minimize their contact with guests and other employees.  Vulnerable workers should be encouraged to self-identify, and employers should avoid making unnecessary medical inquiries.  Employers should take particular care to reduce vulnerable workers’ risk of exposure to COVID-19, while making sure to be compliant with relevant American Disability Act (ADA) and Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) regulations.
  • Provide employees from higher transmission areas (earlier Stage areas) telework and other options as feasible to eliminate travel to workplaces in lower transmission (later Stage) areas and vice versa.
SAFEGUARDS IN PLACE BEFORE OPENING
  • Ensuring health care system capacity:
    • Adequate health care staffing, testing, ventilators and PPE, along with surge capacity
  • Protecting vulnerable populations:
    • Adequate PPE and staffing to manage effective care and positive cases in institutional settings
    • Adequate COVID-19 testing for residents and workers in institutional settings
  • Ensuring public health capacity to test, trace and isolate:
    • Adequate capacity to test those in priority groups and those in congregate living and healthcare facilities
    • Capacity to trace and isolate individuals with positive COVID-19 tests and to quarantine close contacts
    • Collect data electronically from providers and labs, including race/ethnicity data
  • Developing protocols to keep workers and residents safe:
    • Protocols in place to ensure safe reopening of businesses and institutions, including attention to physical distancing and infection control measures
SPECIFIC INDUSTRY  GUIDELINES
REOPENING RESOURCES
PROCESS FOR STAGED REOPENING
REOPENING PROCESS BASED ON RISK
PLANNING FOR SAFE REOPENING
Each sector will have a safe reopening protocols that addresses the following areas of concern: 
Protecting and supporting worker health and safety 
  • Limit in-person work and ensure that vulnerable workers have alternative assignments 
  • Supply and require use of face coverings and personal protective equipment 
  • Develop policies that enable employees to stay at home when they are sick
Ensuring appropriate physical distancing
  • Limit occupancy in accordance with Safe Reopening protocols 
  • Ensure 6-foot distance between individuals as much as possible 
  • Manage employees’ schedules to enable physical distancing 
Ensuring proper infection control 
  • Follow strict cleaning and sanitation standards 
  • Frequently clean high-touch surfaces 
Communicating with the public 
  • Post clear signage to communicate protocols to visitors 
Ensuring equitable access to services for vulnerable populations 
  • Prioritize access to critical services 
  • Move transactions and services online as feasible
ARE WE SLOWING THE SPREAD?
How capable are we of slowing the spread?
  • Do we have sufficient hospital capacity, including ventilators and ICU beds?
  • Is the supply of PPE adequate for all health care workers?
  • Do we have sufficient testing capacity and testing supplies?
  • Do we have sufficient case and contact tracing capacity?
How effective are we in slowing the spread?
  • Are mortality rates by age, poverty status, and race/ethnicity relatively stable?
  • Are hospitalization rates by age, poverty status, and race/ethnicity relatively stable?
  • Do all high-risk populations have adequate access to testing?
The City of Torrance, following the guidance of local health officials, will continue to take necessary actions to mitigate the effects of the pandemic, prevent further spread, and protect against overwhelming health care resources.  While we have seen indications that our efforts to “flatten the curve” are working, transmission of COVID-19 continues to threaten the Torrance way of life and livelihoods.  As we begin taking steps to reopen businesses safely, we must continue to practice social distancing at a high level and implement other mitigation measures, in order to facilitate further reopening of the economy while protecting public health.  The City of Torrance will continue monitoring the spread of COVID-19 and additional precautions may be necessary in the future.
 
For the latest information on current mitigation levels in the community and guidelines for reopening businesses, contact the Torrance Office of Economic Development at 310-618-5807 or EconomicDevelopment@TorranceCA.Gov