April 7, 2020 - On April 3, 2020 the Mariposa County Health Officer issued a Short Term Lodging Order.
This Order shall be effective immediately and will remain in effect until further notice.
Pursuant to California Health and Safety Code Sections 101040, 120175, and 120175.5(b) the Health Officer of the County of Mariposa issued the following order.
The County Health Officer finds that the use of short-term lodging for non COVID-19 purposes is a direct violation of the Governor's Stay-at-Home Order as it: (1) encourages an influx of persons into the County, thus increasing the potential for spread of the illness and adding strain upon the County healthcare system; and (2) is likely to impair efforts at mitigating the spread of the illness both within the County and statewide.
The County Health Officer wishes to provide clarity to business, renters, and property owners in the short-term lodging sector of the County regarding operations under the Governor's Stay-At-Home Order and therefore issues the following:
1. Short-term lodging facilities (including short-term rentals, vacation rentals, timeshares, hotels, motels, and other short-term lodgings) within the County of Mariposa may remain open for the following limited purposes:
a. To serve as short-term lodging facilities which are used for the following COVID-19 mitigation and containment measures:
i. Lodging to protect the homeless population;
ii. Lodging for persons who have been displaced and cannot return to their residence because there is a person residing at the residence that must isolate or quarantine or is at a higher risk of severe illness;
iii. Lodging for persons who need to isolate or quarantine
b. Short-term lodging facilities (including short-term rentals, vacation rentals, timeshares, hotels, motels, and other short-term lodgings) which are used to house essential workers performing functions that are essential to maintain the continuity of operations for critical infrastructure, as listed in the attached Guidance.
c. Further, short-term lodging facilities may be used to house those who require emergency sheltering due to other reasons such as, but not limited to, sheltering domestic violence victims or evacuees from a wildland fire.
2. No homeowner, agent of the homeowner, marketing agent, listing agent, or real estate agent shall engage in efforts to rent or lease any short-term rentals, vacation rentals, timeshares, hotels, motels, and/or other short-term lodging within the County of Mariposa for any purpose other than those identified in Paragraph 1 above.
3. In the event of a question or uncertainty as to whether a particular short-term lodging use falls within the Public Health Officer's exemptions (i.e., whether it constitutes a mitigation or containment measure, or involved an essential worker), a written determination from the Mariposa County Health Officer, that the use is authorized, or directive from the Health Officer shall be adequate to authorize such use.
Source: Mariposa County Public Health Department
