More Sectors Can Reopen with Updated Shelter In Place Order

Santa Clara County’s changes to their existing health order go into effect on Friday, June 5 at 12:01 a.m. and allow multiple sectors and activities to resume. Amendments to the health order include the reopening of in-store retail, outdoor dining, all manufacturing, small service businesses, childcare and summer programs, as well as religious, cultural, and civic activities.

County of Santa Clara Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody announced amendments on Monday in coordination with other Bay Area health officers. This updated order modifies the current order, which went into effect on May 22. The order also continues the shelter in place until further notice.

“The global pandemic is ongoing, and we must continue to protect the health and wellbeing of our entire community, especially those most vulnerable to serious illness and death from COVID-19,” said Dr. Cody. “Public Health is about ensuring health in every sense of the word: from diseases like COVID-19, and from social and economic impacts on health too. For all those reasons, we have chosen to be measured in how and when we reopen.”

The amendments are specific and include detailed guidelines for reopening including the use of masks and face coverings and social distancing. Social distancing rules have not changed since the last order and include having to post COVID-19 Prepared documents in a business.

The amendments to the order now allow for outdoor dining at restaurants and other facilities that prepare and serve food; retail and shopping centers for in-store shopping; childcare, summer camps, summer school, and all other educational or recreational programs for all children, in stable groups of up to 12 children; all manufacturing, warehousing, and logistics; house cleaning and other no-contact in-home services; low contact/no contact service businesses such as shoe repair, watch repair, and other similar services; and all pet grooming.

New activities that are now allowed include outdoor small ceremonies and religious services in groups no larger than 25; all outdoor recreational activities that don’t involve physical contact, including swimming pools, hiking, tennis, golf, etc.; camping; drive-in theaters and other car-based gatherings.

Previously, for example, nonessential businesses were only allowed to do curbside pickup and childcare facilities were limited to serving essential workers and their families.

Constructions guidelines have will also change with these amendments.

Santa Clara County’s current COVID-19 efforts, which help determine reopening decisions, include:

• Testing is steadily increasing and the positivity rate is decreasing across the County, including in communities and environments where people are at greatest risk and where the County has done significant outreach;
• Rates of COVID-19 across the County are low and holding steady, including in populations at greater risk;
• Hospitalization rates are low and steady across the County;
• Outbreaks in skilled nursing facilities have been successfully contained; and
• Case investigation and contact tracing capacity is steadily increasing and is staying ahead of demand.

Visit the County’s website for more details and information.