Five of the nine Bay Area counties are imposing tough new stay-at-home restrictions beginning as soon as Sunday. The announcement is catching many off guard in San Francisco, Santa Clara, Marin, Contra Costa, and Alameda counties.
The new order means the closure of all indoor restaurants, hair salons, and gyms until at least January 4th. Retail stores will be allowed to stay open but only at 20 percent capacity.
The Bay Area's intensive care unit bed supply has reportedly fallen below 15 percent, which is also the trigger for a new state order from Governor Gavin Newsom for five regions that encompass all of California's 58 counties. Anything below that would automatically trigger the tougher restrictions for a three week period, but the five Bay Area counties aren't waiting for that to happen. That's despite a state forecast suggesting that that particular region wouldn't reach the 15 percent benchmark until late December.