Yesterday Governor Newsom announced a Regional Stay at Home Order which will go into effect regionally based on ICU capacity. The State’s Order goes into effect within 48 hours of any region with less than 15% ICU capacity.
All regions, including the Bay Area, are projected to reach this threshold before mid-December. Rather than waiting until ICU bed availability reaches critical levels and delaying inevitable closures, the Health officers for the Counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, and Santa Clara, and the City of Berkeley, have jointly announced that the State’s Regional Stay at Home Order will be implemented now.
Marin County’s order will take effect on Tuesday, December 8, 2020 and will remain in place until January 4, 2021.
The Order instructs residents to avoid gatherings outside of the household and to stay home as much as possible to minimize unnecessary exposure and to help stop the surge of COVID-19 and prevent overwhelming ICU capacity. The Order attempts to strike a balance to continue allowing access to critical services and outdoor activities to preserve Californians’ physical and mental health.
Beginning Tuesday, December 8, the following sectors in Marin County must close:
- Indoor and outdoor playgrounds
- Indoor recreational facilities
- Hair salons and barbershops
- Personal care services
- Museums, zoos, and aquariums
- Movie theaters
- Wineries
- Bars, breweries, and distilleries
- Family entertainment centers
- Cardrooms and satellite wagering
- Limited services
- Live audience sports
- Amusement parks
The following sectors will have additional modifications (in addition to 100% compliance with facial covering and physical distancing protocols):
- Outdoor recreational facilities: Allow outdoor operation only, without any food, drink, or alcohol sales. Additionally, overnight stays at campgrounds will not be permitted.
- Retail: Allow indoor operation at 20% capacity with entrance metering and no eating or drinking in the stores. Additionally, special hours should be instituted for seniors and others with chronic conditions or compromised immune systems.
- Shopping centers: Allow indoor operation at 20% capacity with entrance metering and no eating or drinking in the stores. Additionally, special hours should be instituted for seniors and others with chronic conditions or compromised immune systems.
- Hotels and lodging: Allow to open for critical infrastructure support only.
- Restaurants: Allow only for take-out, pick-up, or delivery.
- Offices: Allow remote only, except for critical infrastructure sectors where remote working is not possible.
- Places of worship and political expression: Allow outdoor services only.
- Entertainment production including professional sports: Allow operation without live audiences. Additionally, testing protocol and “bubbles” are highly encouraged.
The following sectors are allowed to remain open when a remote option is not possible. Those that remain open must have appropriate infectious disease preventative measures in place, including 100% compliance with facial covering and physical distancing protocols:
- Critical infrastructure
- Schools
- Non-urgent medical and dental care
- Childcare and pre-K
For more information: