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If you are a social bubble, sorry but it is now popped. Five Bay Area counties and Berkeley do not want ICU capacity levels to trigger and have hence adopted stricter stay-home directives to ensure safety and wellness for their citizens and decrease the rapidly increasing COVID-19 cases in the area.
Five Bay areas and the city of Berkeley announced that they are rapidly adopting new, tougher COVID-19 activity restrictions rather than waiting for the number of cases to increase. Hence, the adoption of stricter stay-at-home rules.
Alameda, Marin, San Fransico and Contra Costa and Santa Clara County are admonishing all non-essential gatherings among people in different households and curtailing outdoor activities to levels ordered by health officials near the start of the pandemic in march. Among other things, that means outdoor dining will be temporarily shut and retail businesses will have to further shrink their capacity.
In other words, health officials are urging residents to stay home as much as possible and follow strict social distancing to ensure quick recovery, wellness and good health.
The following are the new directives implemented into effect:
The rules take effect on 10 p.m Sunday.
Bay Area residents are not allowed to gather outdoors for social purposes. Religious worship, protests and demonstrations which are constitutionally protected are however allowed outdoors. People who are un-housed or homeless are also exempted.
Universities are tentatively shut down and online or in-house schooling will take action. Schools on the other hand will have in-person learning from child care to k-12 schooling, following masking and social distancing protocols.
Wineries, restaurants, bars, distilleries and any social place for eating has been closed.
Outdoor recreation facilities such as parks, swimming pools and jogging tracks are opened but are prohibited from serving drinks and food. Gyms and fitness classes are also allowed to be held outdoors.
The new restrictions require closure of indoor and outdoor playgrounds. At campgrounds, overnight stays are suspended.
Barbershops, hair salons and other personal care services are barred from staying open, along with zoos, aquariums, museums, art galleries, theaters, family entertainment centers, card rooms, clubs, live sporting events or concerts and amusement parks.
Speaking of sporting centers, Cal Athletics and Golden State Warriors are allowed to continue practice and other activities locally provided they submit a safety plan to health officials in their respective jurisdiction.
Violations are misdemeanors and are punishable by up to six months in jail along with a 1000$ fine. Some businesses and places have worship in the respective areas have been fined for not adhering to safety protocols.
By Meena Atmakuri
