This afternoon, Santa Clara County leaders held a press conference to formally announce a revised risk reduction order for the county amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The County has been approved by the State of California to move into Tier 3, represented by the color Orange.
Here’s what’s allowed as of 12:01am on October 14:
- Outdoor gatherings of 200 people and indoor gatherings of up to 25% capacity or 100 people, whichever is fewer. This includes movie theaters, churches, and cultural ceremonies. The State generally prohibits other gatherings.
- Indoor dining up to 25% capacity or 100 people, whichever is fewer.
- Indoor museums and zoos up to 50% capacity.
- College sports activities without fans following County and State requirements
- No capacity limitation for malls and other retail businesses.
County officials noted that indoor dining and indoor gatherings present greater risks, and that, in an effort to reduce those risks, numerical limits will be stricter in Santa Clara County than they are in other counties. Enforcement teams will therefore be working throughout the County to ensure compliance with those requirements.
Within the next 14 days, County businesses need to submit updated social distancing protocols to reflect the latest changes.
“I think today is really great news for everyone who lives and works in this County and all the collective work that everyone has done to move us into the orange tier; the orange tier, also called the Moderate Risk Tier,” said Dr. Sara Cody.
The average new daily case count in Santa Clara County is 3.7 cases per 100,000 people.
Dr. Cody also mentioned that with this news, the County is now shifting away from a strategy of controlling the pandemic environment to making it the responsibility of individuals to follow guidelines—always wearing masks indoors, practicing social distancing, and doing activities outdoors as opposed to indoors, whenever possible.
“As always, it’s going to take all of us together and all of us remaining vigilant,” said Dr. Cody.
More information is available here.
