Editorial office. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P]
The county of San Mateo has tightened its sanitary measuresAfter three weeks in the "orange" phase, one of the least restrictive, it returned to "red" on Tuesday, which means a substantial risk in terms of the dispersion of the virus, which so far has caused the infection of 12,780 people in the area.
The return to the "red" phase has caused many companies to change their way of operating, closing down indefinitely or completely.
"While this is a setback, we must look to a better future and support local businesses and our restaurants," said Warren Slocum, Chair of the Board of Supervisors.
"Let's all commit to sponsoring our favorite local businesses to the best of our ability. It could be a curbside pickup or a take-away dinner. Let's help each other as best we can in this difficult time," he added.
According to the New York Times, yesterday, November 17, 119 more people in the county contracted the virus, but no deaths were reported.
The San Mateo County Health Department reported that of the 12,780 cases registered since the beginning of the pandemic until Tuesday, 6,438 have been in women, while 6,341 in men, and one more in a different sex.
The most recent report states that the average number of people a person with the virus will infect is 1.03, a rate that represents that COVID-19 is spreading and has an upward trend.
The document also explains that the Latino community continues to be the most affected with 6,471 of the cases, while 2,891 of the positive results did not report their race or ethnicity.
Among those affected, Caucasians stand out (1,532 cases so far), followed by Asian-Americans (1,265), Pacific Islanders (273), Afro-descendants (158), other races (95), multiracial (88), while ethnic Americans have only reported seven cases so far.
The age group with the highest number of cases is that from 20 to 29 years old (2,596), followed by 30 to 39 years old (2,475), 40 to 49 years old (2,69), 50 to 59 years old (1,638 cases), 10 to 19 years old (1,239), 60 to 69 years old (1,123), under nine years old (727), 70 to 79 years old (470), 80 to 89 years old (279), and over 90 years old (163).
In terms of deaths, the county has reported 168 deaths in the nine months of the pandemic, of which 85 have been women and 83 men.
The Caucasian race has been the most affected in these terms, as 80 deaths correspond to this group, followed by the Asian-American with 39, and the Latin with 38 deaths.
As of yesterday, 29 people had been hospitalized with the virus, 27 of them positive for COVID-19 and two with suspicions.
In response, and as part of the "emergency brake" imposed by California State Governor Gavin Newsom, indoor dining halls, places of worship, movie theaters, museums, zoos and aquariums will have to reduce capacity to 25 percent in the county.
Gym capacity will also be reduced to 10 percent, and small businesses and shopping centers will have to follow capacity limits of 50 percent or 100 people, whichever is less.
Places that, for the time being, can only operate outdoors include game rooms and wine cellars, while bars, breweries and distilleries that do not sell food will be closed.
Schools that have begun to reopen will not have to close now that the county is back in the red; however, they will not be added to the list.
