SANTA CLARA COUNTY, Calif. (KRON) – The Santa Clara Health Department has announced a legal order banning events in the county with more than a thousand people in attendance.
In a press conference on Monday night, officials said this will begin on Wednesday, Mar. 11 and last for three weeks.
This order does not include places like schools, airports or shopping malls.
This is the first such order made in the United States.
The order includes events like concerts and sporting events.
The San Jose Sharks will be able to play, but that means with limited or no attendance.
The order is enforceable by the sheriff’s office and police departments.
The Public Health Department will make decisions with school closures on a case by case situation.
“This is a big decision to issue a legal order such as this, to carefully consider it. I think that over the last five days the uptick in cases particularly those that we believe, where we found no link to travel or other cases indicating community spread. That is a tipping point for us and it’s time to issue the order,” Dr. Sara Cody said.
In addition to this announcement, officials said there are now 43 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Santa Clara County. 21 of those cases have not been linked to recent travel, or previously confirmed cases. They have come about by community spread.
The first coronavirus death was reported Monday morning. The patient was a woman in her 60s.
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