Information provided by the County of San Benito.
As of Dec. 5, regional ICU capacity has fallen below 15% availability, applying the Regional Stay-at-Home Order to all counties in the San Joaquin Valley Region, including San Benito County. The order goes into effect Dec. 6 at 11:59 p.m.
The order will be in effect for at least three weeks and urges Californians to stay at home as much as possible to limit the mixing with other households that can lead to COVID19 spread. It allows access to (and travel for) critical services and allows outdoor activities to preserve Californians’ physical and mental health. This limited closure is an attempt to help stop the surge and prevent overwhelming regional ICU capacity.
“Our only hospital in San Benito County is completely full. This is an alarming situation that could get much worse. We can only get through this if we work together. Please follow our advice to keep yourself, your family and your neighbor’s safe,” said David Ghilarducci, public health officer for San Benito County.
Once the order goes into effect, the following restrictions and allowances apply:
No Gatherings: All gatherings with members of other households are prohibited. Very few exceptions apply.
The following sectors must close:
- Indoor and outdoor playgrounds
- Indoor recreational facilities
- Hair salons and barbershops
- Personal care services—nail salons, massage services, tattoo studios, skin care services, full list here
- Museums, zoos, and aquariums
- Movie theaters
- Wineries
- Bars, breweries, and distilleries
- Family entertainment centers
- Cardrooms and satellite wagering
- Limited services—touch car washes, pet grooming, residential cleaning, landscaping, full list here
- Live audience sports
- Amusement parks
The following sectors will have additional modifications in addition to 100% masking and physical distancing:
- 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 remain open when a remote option is not possible with appropriate infectious disease preventative measures including 100% masking and physical distancing:
- Critical infrastructure /Essential Workforce
- Non-urgent medical and dental care
- Child care and pre-K
- Schools:
- Schools that are currently open are able to continue to provide in-person instruction on school sites.
- Schools that are currently operating under an elementary school waiver are able to continue to provide instruction to students on school sites.
- Schools that reopened while their county was in a less restrictive tier are able to continue to provide instruction to students on school sites.
- All schools that have not yet reopened for in-person instruction are able to continue to serve small cohorts of students (e.g., students with disabilities) following CDPH Guidance.
For updates on the current status, check the San Benito County Health and Human Services Agency website.
For more information on the Regional Stay Home Order on the State’s website at www.COVID19.ca.gov.
