Santa Clara County implements new restrictions, effective Dec. 6

Santa Clara County, along with five other jurisdictions in the Bay Area, will implement COVID-19 restrictions that will take effect at 10 p.m. this Sunday, Dec. 6, and remain in place until Jan. 4, 2021. [Jan. 12 update: The Bay Area continues to be under the regional stay-at-home order, which will be in effect until the state projects that four-week regional intensive care unit capacity will be above 15%.]

In general, the new guidelines do not change current operations at Stanford. Employees should continue working at home unless approved to be on campus and those in essential categories should continue to report to work as scheduled.

Bay Area county health officials, who announced the decision Friday, Dec. 4, said the guidelines track with requirements in the regional stay at home order announced by the State of California on Thursday, Dec. 3. But the officials said their counties are implementing them now, rather than waiting to meet the state’s threshold, which is based on a region having less than 15 percent of its intensive care unit beds available.

The order prohibits private gatherings of any size with individuals outside of one’s household, closes business operations except for critical infrastructure and retail (which can operate at 20 percent of capacity) and requires face coverings and physical distancing. It restricts non-essential travel and requires people to stay at home as much as possible, but allows access and essential travel for critical services, health and medical care, school and study, and work. Outdoor activities to preserve physical and mental health are still permitted.

San Mateo County, where Stanford Redwood City is located, announced it will not issue a new local stay-at-home order but will work with business and community leaders on existing guidelines. [Dec. 16 update: The regional stay-at-home-order will take effect in San Mateo County at 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 17. See the post here.]

Stanford will continue to monitor decisions by state and local governments to limit the spread of COVID-19. In addition to the new order, Santa Clara County also requires a 14-day quarantine following travel outside a 150-mile area and the state’s stay-at-home order requires a 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew for counties in the purple “widespread risk” tier. [Dec. 15 update: Santa Clara County’s travel quarantine requirement has since been reduced to 10 days, with a recommendation to test at day 6 and monitor for any symptoms until day 14.]