SANTA ROSA (CBS SF) – Restrictions on large gatherings in Sonoma County prompted by the COVID-19 omicron surge will expire at 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, the county’s health officer said Friday.
Dr. Sundari Mase said the order will be allowed to expire as cases and hospitalizations in the county are declining. In early January, the county experienced nearly 250 daily new cases per 100,000 residents, a number which has now dipped to 126 new cases per day.
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“The numbers are trending in the right direction, and there are clear signs that we are now past the peak of the winter surge in COVID-19 cases,” Mase said in a statement.
On January 12, Mase limited the size of indoor gatherings to 50 people and capped capacity of outdoor gatherings to 100 people when social distancing cannot be maintained. At the time, the health department said more than half of positive cases where the source of transmission was known resulted from large gatherings.
Sonoma health officials also voluntarily urged residents to stay home and travel only for school, work and other necessary trips.
The order, along with high cases, prompted the Russian River Brewing Company to postpone its release of Pliny the Younger beer, an annual event that draws scores of beer connoisseurs to Sonoma County. Russian River brewing has since rescheduled the event to late March.
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Last week, Mase cited improving numbers and loosened indoor event restrictions to 50 spectators, excluding players, performers, media and event staff from the total.
The health order had several exceptions, including gatherings “that occur as a part of regular school instructional events or outdoor recess, workplace settings, courthouse activities, places of worship, cafeterias, or any venue that is open to the public as part of regular operations such as shopping malls, stores, restaurants/food facilities and museums.”
While gathering restrictions are set to ease, Mase continued to urge caution among those over 65, those with underlying health conditions and those who have not received vaccines or boosters. Officials said among the 25 people in Sonoma County who have died from COVID-19 since January 1, 96% were over the age of 65, 92% had underlying health conditions and 52% were unvaccinated.
“If you are in a higher-risk group because of your age, vaccination status or an underlying health condition, you need to be aware of the risks you are exposed to every time you gather with strangers, particularly indoors where the virus is easily transmitted,” the health officer said. “Assess your risk and take action to protect yourself. The best thing you can do is get vaccinated and boosted, if eligible.”
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Mase urged at-risk groups to avoid non-essential gatherings until further reductions in transmission are seen.
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