SANTA CRUZ COUNTY—Santa Cruz County residents will have to stay home for at least another month.
County Health Officer Dr. Gail Newel on Tuesday night extended the county’s shelter-in-place order through May 3.
The order, first enacted on March 17 to slow the spread of COVID-19, was set to expire on April 7.
“My first priority is to protect the life and safety of Santa Cruz County residents, and we have some early indications that the shelter-in-place order is helping reduce transmission of the COVID-19 virus,” Newel said in a press release. “I expect the weeks ahead will be challenging, and it is imperative that we not let down our guard as we work together to reduce the impacts from this disease.”
The extension mirrors joint action taken earlier Tuesday by a group of six Bay Area health officers. However, some aspects of Santa Cruz County’s order differ from the Bay Area order.
Santa Cruz County as of Wednesday morning had 54 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including one death and nine hospitalizations.
The new order, which went into effect at midnight on Tuesday, establishes stronger restrictions for what is deemed “essential activities.”
Sports or activities that include the use of shared equipment, such as basketball, football and tennis, are banned unless the participating members are of the same household.
The use of shared recreation facilities, including golf courses, rock parks, climbing walls, pools, spas, shooting and archery ranges and gyms, is also prohibited. And so is public access to parks with “high-touch” equipment such as playgrounds and outdoor gyms.
The order also expanded and clarified its definition of “essential businesses.”
Additions include bicycle repair and supply shops, various professions in the real estate industry, landscapers and gardeners, funeral home providers, unemployment services and moving services.
Construction was also deemed essential, though the county’s definition of allowable development is expected to halt most projects throughout the area.
Only construction on essential infrastructure, healthcare facilities, deed-restricted housing projects and development that will serve the homeless, elderly, people with special needs or the economically disadvantaged is allowed.
All other construction, both residential and commercial, will have to shut down unless they are completing projects that are needed to keep residents safe. Those projects include ongoing re-roofing, new re-roof projects for active leaks, furnace and water heater replacements, immediate repair of fire damage or gas and electrical line work.
The order is available at santacruzhealth.org/coronavirus.
