Most of the Bay Area will be under California's new stay-at-home order starting Sunday after local health officials announced they will not wait for the state to trigger tighter coronavirus restrictions.
County health officers from Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Santa Clara, San Francisco and the City of Berkeley in a joint press conference Friday said they are not waiting until local hospitals are near crisis to act.
“We cannot wait until after we have driven off the cliff to pull the emergency break,” Santa Clara County Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody said. “We understand that the closures under the state order will have a profound impact on our local businesses. However, if we act quickly, we can both save lives and reduce the amount of time these restrictions have to stay in place, allowing businesses and activities to reopen sooner.”
Most of the health officers will implement the new stay-at-home order starting Sunday. In Alameda County, it is scheduled to take place on Monday. Marin County's order will go into effect on Tuesday. The new restrictions will remain in place until Jan. 4, 2021.
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a sweeping new coronavirus order Thursday that triggers business shutdowns and puts limits on people's movement based on hospital intensive care unit capacity in their regions.
The new order comes amid surging COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations across the state and is triggered if a region's ICU bed availability drops below 15%.
Below is a breakdown of the restrictions under the new stay-at-home order provided by health officials.
The following must close:
- Indoor and outdoor playgrounds
- Indoor recreational facilities
- Hair salons and barbershops
- Personal care services
- Museums, zoos, and aquariums
- Movie theaters
- Wineries
- Bars, breweries, and distilleries
- Family entertainment centers
- Cardrooms and satellite wagering
- Limited services
- Live audience sports
- Amusement parks
The following sectors will have additional modifications (in addition to 100% masking and physical distancing):
- Outdoor recreational facilities: Allow outdoor operation only, without any food, drink, or alcohol sales. Additionally, overnight stays at campgrounds will not be permitted.
- Retail: Allow indoor operation at 20% capacity with entrance metering and no eating or drinking in the stores. Additionally, special hours should be instituted for seniors and others with chronic conditions or compromised immune systems.
- Shopping centers: Allow indoor operation at 20% capacity with entrance metering and no eating or drinking in the stores. Additionally, special hours should be instituted for seniors and others with chronic conditions or compromised immune systems.
- Hotels and lodging: Allow to open for critical infrastructure support only.
- Restaurants: Allow only for take-out, pick-up, or delivery.
- Offices: Allow remote only, except for critical infrastructure sectors where remote working is not possible.
- Places of worship and political expression: Allow outdoor services only.
- Entertainment production including professional sports: Allow operation without live audiences. Additionally, testing protocol and “bubbles” are highly encouraged.
The following sectors are allowed to remain open when a remote option is not possible. Those that remain open must have appropriate infectious disease preventative measures in place, including 100% masking and physical distancing:
- Critical infrastructure
- Schools
- Non-urgent medical and dental care
- Childcare and pre-K
ICU Beds Available in Bay Area (as of Dec. 4)
Statewide, most counties across Northern, Southern and Central California will enter the new lockdown as well. Here are the details.
