Alameda County To Allow Car-Based Gatherings

ALAMEDA COUNTY, CA — Alameda County announced Monday that it will now allow outdoor, car-based gatherings.

Gatherings will be highly regulated to keep person-to-person contact very low and prevent a surge in cases of the coronavirus, the county said. Gatherings may take place for no longer than three hours, with 200 or fewer cars.

Diplomas or other significant documents may be handed out, the county said.

Alameda County said a designated host must ensure participants meet the following conditions for car-based gatherings:

• No motorcycles, convertibles with the top down, doorless cars or bicycles may participate;
• Drivers must park at least six feet away from others, and leave room for emergency personnel to enter and exit vehicle rows;
• All passengers in a car must be members of the same household and cannot change cars during the gathering; and
• Passengers must wear face coverings if windows are rolled down and respect social distancing measures.

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Hosts of gatherings of 10 cars or more must request and pay for security from their local law enforcement agency, or hire private security if peace officers are not available, the county said. This requirement seeks to mitigate traffic and safety concerns.

Car-based gatherings must be invite-only and held in a parking lot or other outdoor location large enough to ensure all cars can park six feet away from one another. Event hosts must obtain written permission from the landowner, if the gathering does not take place on the host's property.

If the location does not prevent uninvited people from participating, security must ensure that uninvited guests do not join the gathering, the county said.

Hosts must have a Highly Regulated Vehicle Based Gathering Plan that can be provided to law enforcement upon request. Plans must include information such as the host's contact information and measures that will be taken to ensure social distancing requirements are met.

See more about what must be included in this plan on pages five and six of the documentembedded below.

Guests may use a bathroom on the property. No sales or exchanges may take place.

The order on car-based gatherings could be adjusted if officials see a heightened risk associated with the coronavirus.

Also on Monday, Alameda County and others in the Bay Area unveiled plans to allow retail and manufacturing businesses to proceed with limited openings. Read more about the announcement here.

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Read the order below: