California’s Bay Area has had its share of COVID shutdown woes
and controversies — and the hits just keep on coming. Now the
region’s residents will be under an indefinite stay-at-home
lockdown order.
What is happening?
No one will forget Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s
hypocritical decision to dine at a Napa wine country restaurant
in the northern part of the Bay Area while businesses in his state
were suffering due to coronavirus restrictions and families were
being told not to gather for the Thanksgiving and Christmas
holidays.
And the day after Newsom pulled his stunt, San Francisco’s own
Democratic Mayor London Breed was
caught dining in the same restaurant despite having previously
admonished her subjects to curtail their activities and “do their
part” to stop the spread of the virus.
Two weeks after those left-wing politicos were caught betraying
their own instructions to Californians, the Golden State announced
it would be locking down again with new regional stay-at-home
orders.
The new lockdown orders forced more people to stay at home,
business owners to close their shops, and sports — even without
crowds — to be canceled or moved. The San Francisco 49ers were
forced to play the remainder of their home games in Arizona
because Santa Clara County, in an effort to try to meet state
standards under the lockdown mandates, banned all contact
sports.
Now things are getting worse for folks in the Bay Area: State
officials announced over the weekend that the region’s COVID
lockdown orders have been extended indefinitely, KNTV-TV
reported.
With a continuing surge in cases, state public health officials
declared citizens must stay home except for work, shopping, or
other activities deemed essential until the region’s projected
four-week ICU bed capacity is at least 15%.
The Bay Area’s most recent four-week ICU projection is 3%,
according to the Contra Costa Herald. The region’s current
actual ICU availability is just 0.7%, the state’s COVID
tracking page said.
The region’s counties currently have wildly varying ICU capacity
— but they’re all in under the same lockdown order.
In Sonoma County, KNTV said, ICU capacity is 27.6%.
Interestingly, the county is experiencing almost double the rate of
cases than before the stay-at-home order was first implemented.
But the ICU situation in Santa Clara County is a different
story. The ICU capacity is at just 6%.
Leaders in both counties are seeking ways to both “slow the
spread” and get their economies rolling again.
“Sonoma County residents and businesses have endured so much
over the past year, and I know that everyone is anxiously awaiting
the time when we can finally return to a sense of normalcy and
safely reopen our economy,” Lynda Hopkins, chair of the Sonoma
County Board of Supervisors, told KNTV. “While we are hopeful that
the vaccine will soon provide the means to end this pandemic, the
virus is still raging through our community. We are asking everyone
for a little more patience while we slow the spread and work
through our vaccine distribution plan.”
Officials from Santa Clara County told the outlet, “With the
current surge of COVID-19 cases, deaths and hospitalizations, the
County expects to be under the restrictions of this State order for
some time. Tt is more critical than ever to stay at home, wear a
mask if you must leave home for essential activities, and keep a
distance from those outside your households.”
