COVID-19 is back on the rise throughout the Bay Area, and Santa Clara County is currently catching the wave. The County rejoiced last month upon lifting various restrictions and moving down to the state’s Orange tier, but now we’re likely headed back up to the Red, meaning indoor dining and other high-risk activities (like movie theaters and bowling alleys) will be shuttered again come next week, on Tuesday, November 17, with the possibility of a move to the more constrictive Purple tier in the weeks beyond that.
“We know that eating indoors without masks is a very high-risk activity, and as we close indoor dining we also strongly urge people not to eat or gather indoors with anyone outside their own household,” Dr. Sara Cody, Santa Clara County Health Officer and Director of Public Health, said today in a press release. “We must come together as a community and act now to get the virus under control.”
As the weather grows cooler and the holidays grow closer, people will be spending greater amounts of time indoors, which means the risk of disease spread will intensify.
“We’re going to need everybody’s help. These numbers are going in the wrong direction. And when I say numbers, I’m talking about people,” said County Supervisor Cindy Chavez. “We have more people in our community getting sick, we have more people in our community getting in the hospital, and we have more people, more members of our community dying. What that means is we’ve all got to dig in and really double down.”
Chavez went on to note that county schools are planning on reopening next January or early Spring, and in order to make that happen, everyone needs to do their part: wash hands, wear masks, socially distance, shelter in place.
362 new COVID-19 cases were reported just today, and 110 COVID patients are currently being cared for in area hospitals. Throughout October, the average number of daily cases had dropped down to around 80.
