County Shutters Schools, Bans Gatherings Amid COVID-19 Concerns

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CA — Santa Clara County announced sweeping measures Friday to contain the novel coronavirus outbreak that includes the closure of all public schools and a new more restrictive ban on gatherings.

The county as of Wednesday night reported it has 48 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including one death.

The County Superintendent of Schools announced a three-week closure of public schools that goes into effect Monday, March 16.

“This school closure is designed to provide schools with the time needed to create long-term plans to operate in ways that facilitate social distancing, provide all necessary hygiene and cleaning supplies, ensure adequate staff time and resources to follow public health guidance, and create plans to address the possibility that a significant portion of their staff will need to stay home sick if they contract COVID-19,” the county said in a statement.

The announcement also included a County Health Officer order prohibiting all public gatherings of more than 100 people.

The County Health Officer 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.”