The health officers in six San Francisco Bay Area counties have issued a new stay-at-home order as the number of virus cases surge and hospitals fill.
San Mateo County officials did not participate in the order. Officials said the county will not at this time be issuing a new local stay-at-home order and will continue to work with business and community leaders on adherence to existing guidelines.
“The measures we are taking emphasize individual and collective responsibility,” said Dr. Scott Morrow, San Mateo County’s Health Officer. “With the vaccine coming soon, now more than ever, this is a critical time to stay focused on the key behaviors that protect our communities.”
Dr. Morrow will continue to closely scrutinize county and regional hospitalization data, including the number of available and staffed intensive care unit beds, to determine whether additional local measures should be mobilized as we all try to bend the current curve in the rise of COVID19 cases in San Mateo County, according to officials.
The changes by other health officials announced Friday will take effect Sunday and last through Jan. 4. The counties have not yet reached Gov. Gavin Newsom's threshold announced a day earlier requiring such an order when 85% of ICU beds at regional hospitals are full, but they said the hospital system will be overwhelmed before the end of December when Newsom's order would apply.
"We don't think we can wait for the state's new restrictions to go into effect later this month. This is an emergency," said Contra Costa Health Officer Chris Farnitano.
It means restaurants will have to close to both indoor and outdoor dining, bars and wineries must close along with hair and nail salons, along with playgrounds. Retail stores and shopping centers can operate with just 20% customer capacity. Gatherings of any size with people outside of your household are banned.
The new stay-at-home order will cut sharply into the most profitable shopping season and threaten financial ruin for businesses already struggling after 10 months of on-again, off-again restrictions and slow sales because of the pandemic.
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