A message from:
Board of Supervisors
Susan S. Muranishi, County Administrator
December 4, 2020
We hope that you enjoyed the Thanksgiving holiday and long week-end safely with your family and are staying healthy. As we enter December and approach the end of 2020, we again extend our deep appreciation for your commitment, service, and resilience.
Earlier today, the Bay Area Health Officers jointly adopted the State’s recently announced Regional Stay-at-Home orders. In Alameda County, these temporary restrictions will be effective as of December 7, 2020, and will remain in effect until January 4, 2021. The County’s Shelter in Place orders, COVID-19 website, and guidance will be updated accordingly.
For more information on the restrictions, please see the attached press release. While the temporary restrictions are in place all private gatherings and non-essential travel will be prohibited. County policies on alternative work arrangements remain in place, and we anticipate sharing more guidance about face coverings in the coming days.
This early action is needed because the number of new cases is rising rapidly and we expect to see more cases from the Thanksgiving weekend. Hospitalizations are already matching our peak from the summer and because of the lag behind case increases by a week or more, we are at high risk of exhausting our system capacity. This is a regional issue as hospitals provide overflow capacity for neighboring jurisdictions and our neighboring counties have seen rapid increases in the past two weeks.
Acting now will help us bend the curve once again, save lives, and give us an opportunity to enter 2021 with more stability.
Thank you in advance for the work you all will continue to do in the coming weeks to support our residents, businesses, and communities through these challenging and evolving times. Please take care of yourselves and each other — and know that you are making a difference and saving lives.
Stay healthy and be safe!