COVID update: Regional stay home order lifts, vaccine distribution plans, new testing sites

Note: this article was updated on 1/26.

Governor Newsom lifted the Regional Stay Home Order statewide Monday morning, in light of new 4-week projections showing ICU capacities above 15 percent in all regions. The state’s capacity projection is based on current ICU capacity, current community transmission, regional case rates and proportion of cases admitted to the ICU. The Bay Area region is projected to have an ICU capacity of 25 percent on 2/21.

The action moves Santa Clara County back into the four-tier model of activity restriction; most counties including Santa Clara now fall into the most restrictive Purple Tier.  

In many cases, Santa Clara County restrictions have been more stringent than State guidance. Today the County health department issued a statement clarifying local guidance. Outdoor dining may resume today, as well as personal care services and professional, collegiate, and adult and youth sports. The County’s mandatory travel quarantine remains in place, requiring a 10-day quarantine for most people who travel into the county from more than 150 miles away.

Below is a summary of additional Santa Clara County guidance effective January 25. Each sector is subject to its respective mandatory directives, which will be updated later today on the County website:

  • Outdoor dining may resume; indoor dining remains closed.
  • Bars and pubs may serve alcohol outdoors and on the same transaction as a meal.
  • Personal care services may resume indoors and outdoors
  • Sports, including professional and collegiate, adult recreational, and youth
  • Most businesses can open to public with capacity limits of 20 percent.
  • Outdoor gatherings with up to three households are allowed for any purpose; indoor gatherings remain prohibited. Outdoor gatherings of up to 200 are allowed only for religious, political or ceremonial purposes.
  • Lodging facilities may only be open for essential purposes
  • Business breakrooms remain closed
  • Businesses with indoor facilities must establish a metering system to maintain applicable capacity limits
  • Work from home restrictions remain in place
  • Updated Social Distancing Protocols are required for all businesses via the County’s website at www.covid19prepared.org. Protocols submitted prior to Oct. 11, 2020 are no longer valid.

State vaccine eligibility

The Governor also reviewed vaccine eligibility, which over the last few weeks has raised significant confusion and concern at the local level.

The state will continue to prioritize those 65 and over, as well as healthcare workers, first responders, food and agriculture workers, teachers and school staff.

From there, the state will transition to the next cohort of age-based eligibility. The state is developing My Turn, a new scheduling system for Californians and a data system for vaccinators. The app will allow residents who sign up to be notified when it is their turn to schedule an appointment for a vaccine, and providers will be able to upload vaccine information to the state’s system automatically. The program will launch statewide in early February.

The state also encouraged providers to use their vaccine stores immediately, rather than saving second-dose stockpiles for their patients, and indicated those who do not comply will have their vaccine stores reallocated. The California Vaccine Team is working to move to a unified statewide vaccine distribution network in order to maintain consistency, among other factors.

Santa Clara County expands COVID-19 vaccinations to ages 65 and over

Santa Clara County has expanded vaccine distribution to people age 65 and over, health officials announced today. County residents age 65 and older can begin scheduling appointments now for openings Wednesday, January 27 and thereafter via the County’s website at sccfreevax.org.

In addition, to assist residents who lack internet or computer access with scheduling appointments, the County has hosted appointment sign-up fairs in community locations in East San José, Gilroy, and Cupertino, and plans several more in the coming weeks.

The new orders align the County with state guidance around the administration of vaccines. The County has also recently expanded its vaccination sites which include a mobile vaccination clinic.

The latest updates on vaccine eligibility and how to schedule an appointment are available on the County’s website at sccfreevax.org.

New COVID testing sites

The County also announced a new mobile COVID testing unit from the California Testing Task Force will be available in the coming weeks. Registration for a patient ID is needed for this mobile bus testing and can be done online at www.lhi.care/covidtesting or by calling 1-888-634-1123. Appointments are preferred but walk-ups are accepted if there is capacity. The mobile unit will be in San Jose at the Costco Business Center, 2376 Evergreen Loop from 7am to 7pm on Thursday, Jan. 28 and Saturday, Jan 30.

Additional testing sites next week:

San Jose:  Santa Clara County Fairgrounds Parking Lot A, 344 Tully Rd., San Jose CA 95111.
Drive thru, bike and walk-up appointments. Appointment hours: Monday, Jan. 25, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Tuesday through Thursday, Jan. 26 to Jan. 28, 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Friday, Jan. 29, 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 30-31, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Sunnyvale: Murphy Park, 260 N. Sunnyvale Ave., Sunnyvale, 94086
By appointment only for Monday, Jan. 25, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Santa Clara: Santa Clara Central Park Library, 2635 Homestead Road, Santa Clara, 95051
By appointment only for Wednesday, Jan. 27, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Los Altos:  Grant Park Center, 1575 Holt Ave., Los Altos, 94024
By appointment only for Thursday, Jan. 28, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Los Gatos: LGS Adult Recreation Center, 208 E. Main St., Los Gatos, 95030
By appointment only for Friday, Jan. 29, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Pop-up testing sites – No appointments needed and only for people without symptoms.

San José:  Emmanuel Baptist Church, 467 N. White Road, San José, 95127
Tuesday to Friday, Jan. 26 – Jan. 29, 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. 

Public Health Story Road Hub, 1775 Story Rd., San José, 95122
Wednesday, Jan. 27, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Appointments can be made starting seven days in advance of the testing date until all slots are reserved at www.sccfreetest.org. The website also includes a map of all test sites.