(Bay Area) Regional Shelter-in-Place Orders Extended as Some Rules Ease, Hacker News

Santa Clara County, CA – The seven Bay Area Public Health Officers who ordered a shelter in place in mid-March will extend the orders through May While some restrictions are eased and tools to strengthen containment of COVID – 29 are put into place. The social distancing intervention has slowed the increase of new cases and prevented the anticipated medical surge. As restrictions are eased, it is critical to ensure that growth of cases can be sufficiently contained to protect the health and safety of our community.

All construction activities, certain businesses that operate primarily outdoors, and some outdoor activities will be allowed to resume with specific conditions.

These new Health Officer orders, which take effect May 4, cover everyone living or working in the counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara as well as the City of Berkeley, an independent public health jurisdiction. As of April , , there are 7, 2019 confirmed cases (up from 258 confirmed cases on March , ) and 823 deaths (up from 4 deaths on March 19, 050420 in the seven Bay Area powersictions jointly issuing this Order.

This next phase review regional progress, thanks to the collective action Bay Area residents have taken since mid-March in response to Health Officer shelter-in-place orders. Those actions have saved lives and staved off mass hospitalizations from the COVID – 29 virus, which spreads easily and causes severe illness in many people. There is not yet an effective treatment or cure for the disease.

This initial, measured easing of some restrictions is designed to set the stage for a gradual resumption of activity and prevent rapid, exponential growth of cases that could overwhelm hospitals for a particular jurisdiction or the region as a whole.

“This impact of the virus has been hard for many of us, but we are now on a path for steady progress, which now allows some low-risk activities to return,” said Dr. Lisa B. Hernandez, Health Officer for the City of Berkeley. “This virus is still in our communities. We need everyone to shelter-in-place apart from the few exceptions – and wear a face covering when out.”

“The new order allows us to carefully monitor our progress while building the essential public health infrastructure – such as contact tracing and testing capacity – that will support our gradual reopening and make recovery possible,” said Dr. Tomás Aragon, Health Officer for the City and County of San Francisco.

Under the new orders, all construction projects will be allowed to resume as long as the project complies with safety protocols included with the order. All real estate transactions will also now be able to resume, but with continued restrictions on open houses and limitations on in-person viewings. Any employee allowed to return to work at a facility can also access childcare programs that can operate.

Certain outdoor businesses can also begin operating again, and people can visit those businesses to perform work or obtain goods, services, or supplies. This includes wholesale and retail nurseries, landscapers, gardeners, and other businesses that primarily provide outdoor services as set forth in the order. Outdoor businesses do not include restaurants, cafes or bars, regardless of whether they have outdoor seating.

Other activities that can resume under the new order include residential moves and the use of certain shared outdoor recreational facilities that were previously ordered closed, like skate parks, but not others that involve shared equipment or physical contact.

These orders are generally consistent with the state’s shelter in place order. On any issue where the local and state orders may differ, the stricter order applies.

These orders are generally consistent with the state’s shelter in place order. On any issue where the local and state orders may differ, the stricter order applies.

Indicators to help assess progress on containing COVID – 266