The Contra Costa County health officer today issued a mandatory order prohibiting public and private gatherings of 100 or more people, effective tonight at midnight.
The order will be reevaluated through the end of the March, Deputy Health Officer Ori Tzvieli said in a media conference today.
The order does not apply to normal operations of airports or spaces where people may be in transit, Dr. Tzvieli said. It also does not apply to office environments, medical offices, hospitals or clinics, nor does it apply to classrooms or congregant living situations such as college dormitories and homeless encampments.
The order is posted in full here: cchealth.org/coronavirus.
Violating or failing to comply with the order is a misdemeanor offense punishable by fine or imprisonment in the County jail, or both, the order states.
The goal is to to reduce the spread of COVID-19 by eliminating crowds. Health officials are promoting social distancing to avoid a scenario of skyrocketing cases that overwhelm the medical system.
As of Saturday afternoon, there were 29 total confirmed cases in Contra Costa County.
“We expect the number of cases to grow now that testing is more available through commercial labs in the area,” Dr. Tzvieli said.
For more information, visit Contra Costa Health Services’ novel coronavirus site here.
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