Santa Clara County’s shelter-at-home continues, as some counties ease business restrictions

Young locals are encouraged to attend "talking circle"

Different circumstances are leading to different sets of rules in communities across California.

Earlier this week, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that some businesses would be allowed to reopen for curbside pickup service. Some North Bay Counties, including Sonoma and Napa are moving in that direction.

Santa Clara County, and several other Bay Area Counties, are holding firm for now, hoping to continue flattening the curve in the fight against COVID-19.

In a joint statement Thursday, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara County health officers reiterated that their, more stringent, orders remain in effect.

“The Bay Area orders do not currently permit curbside pickup from non-essential, non-outdoor businesses, and that is not allowed to begin on Friday, May 8,” the statement read.

While there has been some confusion about which order applies, “if a county order differs from a state order, the more restrictive order takes precedence.”

Planning ahead for a safe, sustainable reopening of businesses

While business owners have been increasingly vocal about the need for financial relief or a plan for reopening, conversations continue.

“Health officers will continue working in collaboration with local elected officials, community and business leaders to find ways to reopen more businesses and activities safely, while sustaining the progress we have made to reduce the spread of the coronavirus,” the statement read.

The fear among health officials is that reopening too quickly, without adequate testing capacity or the ability to test, trace, and isolate positive cases, will lead to a spike in coronavirus cases.

While the most recent order, which went into effect on Monday, allowed for some outdoor businesses and construction to resume, the economic pain continues unabated.

“We share the urgency to reopen and restore our economies and our normal activities, and the equal importance of doing so in a way that is safe, responsible and does not cause a significant increase in serious illness and death, or overwhelm our healthcare delivery systems.”

Looking forward, the health officers attempted to set expectations.

“The coronavirus pandemic is still well underway. Our communities will be dealing with it for a long time to come.”