COVID-19 Status Update for 12/04/2020

Marin County COVID-19 Status Update for December 4 includes a new stay at home order, effective Tuesday; a new data dashboard highlighting ICU capacity; Status Updates moving to 7 days per week; and updated COVID-19 data

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The Marin County COVID-19 Status Update is published weekdays and as needed to share important news and resources related to the COVID-19 pandemic and to keep the local economy running. We remain here for you.

Marin Joins Movement to Implement Stay-at-Home Orders

On December 3, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that all sectors other than retail and essential operations would be closed in regions of the state where less than 15% of intensive care unit (ICU) beds are available under a new Regional Stay-Home Order. 

Rather than waiting until ICU bed availability reaches critical levels and delaying closures that are inevitable, the Public Health Officers for the counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, and Santa Clara, as well as the City of Berkeley, jointly announced they will implement the state’s Regional Stay-Home Order right away to slow the surge and prevent our local hospitals from being overwhelmed.

“It takes several weeks for new restrictions to slow rising hospitalizations and waiting until only 15% of a region’s ICU beds are available is just too late,” said San Francisco Health Officer Dr. Tomás Aragon. “Many heavily impacted parts of our region already have less than 15% of ICU beds available, and the time to act is now.” 

“We cannot wait until after we have driven off the cliff to pull the emergency brake,” said Santa Clara County Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody. “We understand that the closures under the state order will have a profound impact on our local businesses. However, if we act quickly, we can both save lives and reduce the amount of time these restrictions have to stay in place, allowing businesses and activities to reopen sooner.” 

“Although Marin has fared better than some other counties in our region over the last few weeks, we know it is only a matter of time before rising case and hospitalization put pressure on our hospitals, too,” said Marin County Health Officer Dr. Matthew Willis. “We must act now and must act together to ensure all hospitals in the Bay Area have the capacity they need to care for our residents.”

The New Stay-Home order will take effect in Marin County at noon Tuesday, December 8. The new restrictions will remain in place until January 4, 2021. 

The order instructs Bay Area residents to stay at home as much as possible and limit mixing with other households, which can lead to the spread of COVID-19. All sectors other than retail and essential operations must be closed. Access to (and travel for) critical services and outdoor activities to preserve physical and mental health are allowed.  

Beginning at noon Tuesday, December 8, the following sectors in Marin County must close:  

• Indoor and outdoor playgrounds 
• Indoor recreational facilities 
• Hair salons and barbershops 
• Personal care services  
• Museums, zoos, and aquariums 
• Movie theaters 
• Wineries 
• Bars, breweries, and distilleries 
• Family entertainment centers 
• Cardrooms and satellite wagering 
• Limited services 
• Live audience sports 
• Amusement parks 

The following sectors will have additional modifications (in addition to 100% masking and physical distancing): 

• Outdoor recreational facilities: Allow outdoor operation only, without any food, drink, or alcohol sales. Additionally, overnight stays at campgrounds will not be permitted.
• Retail: Allow indoor operation at 20% capacity with entrance metering and no eating or drinking in the stores. Additionally, special hours should be instituted for seniors and others with chronic conditions or compromised immune systems.
• Shopping centers: Allow indoor operation at 20% capacity with entrance metering and no eating or drinking in the stores. Additionally, special hours should be instituted for seniors and others with chronic conditions or compromised immune systems.
• Hotels, motels, short-term rentals, other lodging: Allow to open for critical infrastructure support only.
• Restaurants: Allow only for takeout, pick-up, or delivery.
• Offices: Allow remote use only, except for critical infrastructure sectors where remote working is not possible.
• Gyms & fitness studios: Indoor operations must close. This includes yoga and dance studios. This order includes any other industries that follow the state’s guidance for gyms & fitness studios, such as youth sports.
• Places of worship and political expression: Allow outdoor services only.
• Entertainment production including professional sports: Allow operation without live audiences. Additionally, testing protocol and “bubbles” are highly encouraged.

The following sectors are allowed to remain open when a remote option is not possible. Those that remain open must have appropriate infectious disease preventative measures in place, including 100% masking and physical distancing: 

• Critical infrastructure  
• Non-urgent medical and dental care 

In addition, the Stay-Home Order does not modify existing state or Marin guidance regarding TK-12 schools. Schools that are currently open to in-classroom instructions or have plans to reopen to in-classroom instruction prior to Tuesday, December 8, are able to continue to provide in-person instruction on school sites. All schools that have not yet reopened for in-person instruction are able to continue to serve small cohorts of students (e.g., students with disabilities) following CDPH Guidance. Schools wishing to reopen to in-person classroom instruction during the timeframe of the Stay-Home Order must apply for a waiver via the CDPH.

“We recognize that public health is about community wellbeing and that includes the economic health of the community,” Willis said.  “And as we take this step, we want to remind people to find ways to support their local businesses in a safe way, doing it from home as much as possible, but utilizing the online or curbside pick-up options that our local stores may offer.” 

See the sector closures and restrictions on activity under the State’s Regional Stay-Home Order. MarinRecovers.com will be updated by Tuesday, December 8, to reflect the new restrictions.

Hospitalization Data Table Expanded to Show Available ICU Capacity

You asked, our Epidemiology Team answered.  As of this afternoon, you can now track the percentage of available Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds in Marin County and cumulatively for hospitals across the Bay Area.  The daily snapshot, referred to as a census, also includes the number of COVID-19 cases hospitalized in Marin County hospitals (MarinHealth, Kaiser, and Novato Community Hospital).  View the table on our Data & Surveillance webpage.

Marin COVID-19 Status Updates Return to Daily Format

Today, we have recorded the highest single day case rate and the highest hospitalization rate for Marin County in several months, and we’re seeing similar trends around the Bay Area.  In response to those trends, Marin Public Health’s epidemiology team and the Emergency Operations Center’s public information team will temporarily resume weekend updates to Marin Data & Surveillance webpage and issue Status Update publications seven days per week.   

COVID-19 Data Update:

Below is a summary of today’s data now available on Marin Data & Surveillance webpage. View the page for a broader range of data, plus interactive graphs for confirmed COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths. Data analysis is available by age range, gender, race and city/town/geographic region. Questions about the data? See our Data FAQ or contact us.

COVID-19 activity in Marin:

*The last status update was issued Thursday, December 3.

NEW! Current Hospitalization Data:

Residential Care & Skilled Nursing Facility COVID-19 activity:

State COVID-19 activity:

At the time of publication, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) had not yet released its daily statistics for December 4, 2020. Monitor the State’s data dashboard for ongoing updates.  

Stay Informed

Follow the County of Marin on Facebook, Twitter, Nextdoor or subscribe to our status updates. Visit MarinHHS.org/coronavirus for resources to stay connected on the issue.

Helpful Links and Online Resources:

• Frequently Asked Questions
• COVID-19 Test Information
• Face Covering & Mask Information
• Volunteer Opportunities
• Donation Options
• Business Reopening Guidelines
• Archive of past status updates

Contact Us. We Are Here for You.

Have questions?  We are here to help. Our call center is available weekdays from 9:30 AM to noon and 1:00 - 5:00 PM. Feel free to connect with us for general information and resources by calling (415) 473-7191. We are also available online! As a reminder, please only call 9-1-1 if you are experiencing a life-threatening emergency.

Spread the word: How your friends and family can receive these updates:

• Text "MARIN COVID" to 468311 to receive text message notifications      
• Subscribe online to receive email notifications
• Tweet & share this update with your friends on Twitter!