Newport Beach City Hall limits staffing, encourages remote service during pandemic
Newport Beach announced Thursday morning that it would be reducing in-person services at City Hall and other city facilities at least through the end of the year as cases of COVID-19 continue to grow in Orange County and across the state.
The Orange County Health Care Agency reported Thursday that there were another 1,102 cases and eight deaths related to the coronavirus. To date, Newport Beach has seen 1,522 confirmed cases and 26 deaths. An estimated 61,068 have recovered county-wide.
Officials said Newport Beach City Hall will remain open and are encouraging members of the public to conduct city business remotely where possible, either through email, phone or online at newportbeachca.gov. The permit center and cashier’s office will remain open and the central library at 25% capacity.
Newport Harbor High School Spanish teacher Renzzo Reyes spent an average of about six hours on the road, driving the 107 miles it takes for him to get to work from his home in Tijuana daily.
All city services will continue and officials said that essential workers such as public safety, public works, code enforcement and building inspectors will continue to work onsite.
Newport Beach City Hall reopened in October after closing in July for the second time as cases rose. It first closed in mid-March at the start of the pandemic and reopened in May.
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