Entire Bay Area now moves forward with reopening steps
OAKLAND, Calif. - The majority of Bay Area counties on Monday issued a new order allowing retail establishments to offer storefront pick-up and as many as 200 cars to gather outside as long as the participants follow strict rules.
The order, which was jointly released by the health officers of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, Santa Clara County and the city of Berkeley, also said that manufacturing, warehousing, and logistical operations that support retail may also resume.
San Mateo County, which started allowing retail sales Monday, is not part of the joint statement. A county spokesman said it is in line with the statewide guidelines for retail sales.
The order did not give the green light yet to dine-in restaurants, as some other counties have been moving toward.
"We are counting on these businesses to consistently follow social distancing protocols and public health guidance to protect their employees and customers as these activities resume," the joint statement said. "COVID-19 continues to pose a very significant risk to our communities, and that continued vigilance is necessary to ensure that we do not see an increase in spread as more activities resume."
In addition, the five Bay Area counties and Berkeley are also allowing car gatherings of up to 200 vehicles as long as the people inside don't congregate for more than three hours. The gatherings must be outside and if they have more than 10 people, security must be hired. People inside the cars must belong to the same family.
During the outbreak, several churches have been offering drive-through sermons and some pastors have been clamoring to open their doors to parishioners.
Last week, it was unclear if Santa Clara County was going to join the coordinated effort. However, they were part of the united front on Monday. Santa Clara County has been the hardest hit of Northern California counties, with 2,500 cases and 135 deaths.
Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties have already entered this Phase 2 of reopening.
The Bay Area health officers said it's possible now to lift the shelter-in-place restrictions a bit, crediting the public for practicing social distancing and following other guidelines to help flatten the curve of coronavirus over the last two months.
Even after giving the go-ahead to construction and outdoor landscaping on May 4, the county health officers said that the COVID-19 numbers have been looking relatively good.
Overall, they said the trend of new cases and hospitalized patients have been either stable or decreasing, even with more testing.
Hospitals are also reporting improved supplies of Personal Protective Equipment and there is an increased capacity for case investigation and contact tracing, the health officials said.