The latest county announcement about rolling back business openings due to rising COVID case metrics comes from Contra Costa County, which like San Francisco is shutting down all indoor dining indefinitely.
Additionally, as Contra Costa County Health Officer Dr. Chris Farnitano announced Friday, all indoor gyms will need to shut down again, retail stores must scale back to 50-percent capacity or 100 people — whichever is fewer — and movie theaters need to close down all their concessions and require face coverings at all times. The changes take effect on Tuesday, November 17.
The move comes three days after the county moved backwards on the state's four-tier rating system from "Orange" to "Red," indicating "subtantial" virus spread. And this is just nine days after Farnitano announced the last rollback, which shut down outdoor bars and reduced restaurant capacity. County officials are concerned that they could quickly slide back to "Purple" status within a couple of weeks, as KPIX reports.
"Indoor interactions at restaurants, movie theaters, and indoor gyms and fitness centers are high-risk activities," said Farnitano in today's press release. "And given what we're seeing happen across the country and the region, we must act now."
Similar moves are likely to follow in other counties as well — including Napa and Santa Clara counties, which are poised to move into the "Red" tier by next week, and Solano County, which it looks like it may slide back to the most restrictive "Purple" tier.
Update: Santa Clara County also announced Friday that it is stopping indoor dining next week, as the Chronicle reports, and Alameda County is said to be considering the same move. Marin County is expected to reduce indoor-dining capacity limits.
And rumors are circulating that even more extreme lockdown/shelter-in-place orders could be on the way in San Francisco and elsewhere, in order to curb a winter surge that appears to be taking shape.
Solano County Health Officer Dr. Bela Matyas issued comments earlier this week regarding the public's growing complacency, and "large, inappropriate gatherings" that he blamed for some of the rise in cases.
"I don’t think there’s a single explanation, I think it’s a lot of things including fatigue and apathy,” he said to the Chronicle. “The fact that we’re going into holiday season, people are getting together with family and friends under the assumption they are safe, and they let their guard down."
Photo: Risen Wang
