FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 22, 2021
Changes Effective February 26, 2021
Santa Clara County, CA - In light of declining rates of COVID-19 in the community, County officials announced today that they will be updating the County’s Mandatory Health Officer Directives to allow a broader range of outdoor activities effective February 26, 2021 given the lower risk of transmission outside. These changes allow a range of social and recreational outdoor activity to resume, including youth sports, performing arts, and enrichment activities, so long as they occur only outdoors. The change will allow all those activities authorized under the State order, including under the State’s recently updated guidance for Youth and Recreational Adult Sports, to proceed. Restrictions on outdoor gatherings of all kinds will also be relaxed to encourage people not to gather indoors, where there is a much worse risk of transmission.
“We have been fighting COVID in Santa Clara County for over a year. We recognize the toll of the pandemic on everyone’s mental, physical, and spiritual health, and the need to balance the risk of COVID with other human needs,” said Dr. Sara Cody, Public Health Officer and Director of Public Health. “Children and adults alike need to participate in the many activities that support their mental, physical, and social wellbeing. We know that the State has made rapid changes to its rules on athletic activities. It is important that changes are consistent across the board. We recognize the importance of all outdoor activities—athletic and non-athletic—to our health and are seeking to allow as much as we can given current levels of community transmission.”
The revised directives will be posted to the County’s website in the next few days.
Although community transmission has lowered, the County reminds the community that no activities involving multiple households are risk-free. Community members are encouraged to continue practicing proven measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, such as wearing masks, physical distancing, and getting vaccinated when it is your turn.
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