Santa Clara County released new COVID-19 restrictions in light of its rising caseload Saturday, including a temporary ban on all high school, collegiate and professional contact sports, a mandatory quarantine for those traveling into the region from more than 150 miles away and new capacity limits for indoor businesses.
The new restrictions arrive as California experiences its worst COVID-19 surge yet and within hours of a similar rollback from San Francisco and San Mateo counties, which were placed into the state’s most restrictive “purple” reopening tier starting Saturday.
Santa Clara County’s new restrictions will include a 14-day quarantine for all those traveling to and from the county from more than 150 miles away, as well as a temporary ban on sporting activities involving contact with other people — including professional sports like the San Francisco 49ers football team. Cardrooms must temporarily close, while hotels and other facilities must be open only for essential travel or to facilitate isolation or quarantine.
“I know this is not what any of us want to hear, nor is this situation one any of us want to be in, but here we are,” said Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody.
Stores must be limited to 10% capacity, excepting grocery stores, drug stores and pharmacies, which may operate at 25% capacity. Health care workers traveling into the county to provide care — or patients — will be exempt from quarantine.
The new directives will go into effect on Monday at 12:01 a.m. and last until at least Dec. 21st, a time period of three weeks, though they may be extended again.
It was yet not entirely clear how the new restrictions would affect the county’s vast network of high school, college and professional sports. The order’s executive summary refers to “all recreational activities that involve physical contact or close proximity to persons outside one’s household, including all contact sports,” but does not specify whether any sports will be exempt from the temporary ban.
“That means that for those teams, they will not be able to play games or have practices where they have direct contact,” said County Counsel James Williams, confirming that the 49ers are among that list. He declined to comment on what “other entities” would be affected.
Meanwhile in San Francisco and San Mateo counties, indoor worship and movie theaters, indoor gyms, and indoor operations at museums, aquariums, and zoos must close starting at noon Sunday. Retail must limit capacity to 25%, while restaurants may operate outdoors.
A curfew will meanwhile be put in place starting Monday night, which would bar non-essential travel between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.
“We have not seen numbers like this in quite a while and we really need to reverse this incredibly troubling trend,” San Mateo County Manager Mike Callagy said in a statement announcing the county’s move to the purple tier. “What’s important to remember is that we can reverse the trend as long as we follow common-sense health and safety practices.”
Fifty-one of 58 counties — more than 90% of California’s population — are within the state’s purple reopening tier. Los Angeles County released its own stay-at-home order Friday night.
Check back for updates.
