17 New Coronavirus Cases Confirmed In Santa Clara County

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CA — Santa Clara County confirmed 17 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, bringing its official total to 91.

"We expect numbers to grow and urge everyone to follow Public Health recommendations," the county public health department said in a tweet.

On Friday, the county announced its second confirmed death from COVID-19, while also shuttering schools for three weeks and banning public gatherings of more than 100 people in an effort to slow the spread of the virus.

Of the county's confirmed cases, 40 were apparently transmitted within the community, while 27 were close contacts of other known cases and 15 were associated with international travel.

The County Health Officer on Friday also banned gatherings of 35 people or more "unless certain conditions have been met."

The bans go in effect at noon on Saturday, March 14.

"As the outbreak of COVID-19 in Santa Clara County continues to accelerate, our aggressive measures are designed to slow the spread of disease and protect critical healthcare system capacity and other essential services," Santa Clara County Public Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody said in a statement.

"We recognize these actions will have a significant impact of the lives of our citizens, but we believe they are necessary to protect the well-being of our community."

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