Though, as of this morning, Santa Clara County is not on the State’s online County Monitoring List, the County has been on the list since Sunday and will have to close recently reopened sectors. California Governor Gavin Newsom announced yesterday that Counties on the Monitoring List have to close the indoor operations of fitness centers, worship services, offices for non-critical sectors, personal care services, hair salons and barbershops, and malls.
“The County of Santa Clara was added to the State’s monitoring list on Sunday, July 12, 2020,” said the County is a press release. “In light of the Governor’s announcement, the County sought clarification on the effect of today’s announcement in our County. The State confirmed this afternoon that it will require sectors closed for indoor operations in counties on the monitoring list to close in Santa Clara County effective Wednesday, July 15, 2020 at 12:01 a.m.”
Many of the sectors that must close were just allowed to reopen on Monday, making their time in the sun short-lived. The County began warning these businesses last night that they would have to close again. It seemed at first that Santa Clara County businesses wouldn’t be affected, but with the recent uptick of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, the County has landed itself on the State’s County Monitoring List again.
This is Santa Clara County’s second time on the list in recent weeks. The County was on the County Monitoring List about two weeks ago when it was initially denied for a County variance which would allow for the reopening plan. The variance was then approved a few days later on July 7 which then went into effect just this Monday.
The Governor had said yesterday that if the closed sectors can adapt to move operations outside, they can continue. He explained that outdoors has proven to be safer than indoors when it comes to COVID-19 spread.
Newsom had said that he is dialing back the reopening orders because of the increases in COVID-19 cases, deaths, and hospitalizations. The Governor said they wish to protect hospital resources especially in rural areas of California where COVID-19 cases are growing.
Additionally, the county attestation process has been paused and is no longer accepting requests for county variances. The State’s website says these attestations will be paused until further notice.
For more information visit the State’s website.