SCC Updated Shelter-in-Place Order allows certain additional businesses and activities to resume
You’ve probably heard that the Health Officer of the County of Santa Clara County has modified our stay at home order. Listed below are some more helpful information on COVID-19 and our county’s response. This updated Shelter-in-Place Order will go in to effect 12:01 am on Friday, May 22, 2020, and will remain in effect until the Health Officer amends or rescinds it. The order allows certain additional businesses and activities to resume, subject to restrictions to reduce transmission risk. The Order also makes important changes to the Social Distancing Protocol requirements for all operating businesses.
What changes does this new Order make?
The May 22 Order allows several new categories of businesses and activities to reopen, subject to specific conditions and limitations. It also keeps key restrictions in place, requiring people to stay in their homes except when engaging in certain essential or allowed activities. The activities and businesses allowed to reopen under the new order are referred to as “Additional Activities” and “Additional Businesses” and are explained in Appendices C-1 and C-2 to the Order available here. These and other significant changes are highlighted below.
Additional Businesses:
Retail stores may reopen for sales, but only for curbside/outside pickup or by delivery. Customers are not allowed to enter these retail stores. These retail stores must also comply with several additional operating conditions, including:
They cannot move goods outside the store to display and sell.
They must limit the number of workers inside the facility as described in the Order.
They must have direct access to a sidewalk, street, outdoor walkway, parking lot, or alley for pickup.
The Order also allows businesses that support these retail businesses to resume operating, including those that manufacture goods sold at these stores and businesses that provide warehousing and distribution services.
Outdoor museums, historical sites, and publicly accessible gardens are allowed to reopen, but visitors are restricted to outdoor areas.
Additional Activities:
The May 22nd Order allows people to participate in car parades, so long as they ride in cars only with members of their households and do not leave the cars during the parade or stop to gather at a fixed location. Bicycles and motorcycles are not allowed to join car parades.
Social Distancing Protocol:
The May 22nd Order updates the Social Distancing Protocol (Appendix A to the Order) to incorporate new State of California requirements for training personnel and other measures.
To operate, all businesses must complete a Social Distancing Protocol using the new template or update their Protocols to incorporate the new requirements. A copy of the Protocol must be distributed to all employees.
To show that they are implementing the Social Distancing Protocol to keep their staff and customers safe from COVID-19, all businesses must print and post in a prominent place near the entrance to the businesses (1) a COVID-19 PREPARED Sign and (2) a Social Distancing Protocol Visitor Information Sheet. Both the Sign and Visitor Information Sheet can be found in Appendix A to the Order.
All businesses must post signage required in the Social Distancing Protocol to educate customers about health and safety requirements. Sign templates are available on the County’s website.