Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P].
Santa Clara County recorded a sharp increase in reported cases of COVID-19 on Sunday and in recent days, a sign that the spread of the virus in the community is increasing, the county health office said.
Santa Clara officials urged the public to continue physical distancing, the use of masks and other safety measures to help maintain the health of the community and the county in its current "moderate" risk category.
"This increase in COVID-19 cases is not what we want to see in the fall and winter season," Santa Clara County Health Officer and Public Health Director Sara Cody, M.D., said in a statement.
"New cases and hospitalizations are increasing locally, regionally, as well as statewide, across the country and around the world. These trends serve as a stark reminder that Covid-19 is still all around us. We must redouble our efforts to keep our community safe."
That's because the cooler temperatures of fall and winter cause people to engage in more indoor activities, such as exercising, eating or socializing, and become complacent about "pandemic fatigue," which raises the risk of COVID-19 transmission.
Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Cindy Chavez said the community and businesses, who enjoy greater freedoms since the County went orange on Oct. 13, need to be vigilant in enforcing mandatory physical distancing protocols.
"Everyone appreciates the options that come with being at a less restrictive level," Chavez said, "but we must be aware that being at such a level does not mean that some activities do not carry risk, which is greatly increased if companies and customers do not follow the rules in place."
So he stressed that before visiting any business, it is important to know their commitment to safety, as all businesses must have a distancing protocol reviewed in the county's records, which the public can find at https://sdp.sccgov.org/.
It should be noted that the County's Compliance and Business Enforcement Team has been responding to non-compliance complaints for over two months, and is stepping up enforcement efforts to crack down on businesses that willfully ignore COVID-19 prevention mandates.
Of the 1,658 business violation complaints received from Aug. 30 to Oct. 26, 1,88 were resolved through County contact and advice on how the business can better operate rules that keep staff and customers safe.
"Most of the companies we contacted are very interested in doing their part," said county attorney James R. Williams. "They accept their responsibility and act accordingly. However, we cannot ignore those that operate in an unsafe manner."
Businesses receive support and assistance on how to understand protocols for keeping their staff and clients safe through critical information, resources, posters, social distancing markers, face masks and other resources at no cost to them.
But the community remains his biggest ally in this fight, acting as "our eyes and ears," they have been providing valuable information to curb illegal operations, such as large gatherings and other potential "super-diffusion" events, he said.
It should be noted that the County has significant authority to enforce the Health Order; with fines starting at $250 and increasing to $5,000 for each violation, and can even double for multi-day violations.
"By no means are these measures we want to apply to businesses, especially when so many are struggling to survive," said Michael Balliet, Director of Environmental Health.
"Our goal is to educate companies to achieve the best outcome for all of us. But we also have a responsibility to take appropriate enforcement action, and we will do so with companies that refuse to comply with public health directives and are putting the community at risk," he said.
