Sacramento region to remain under Gov. Newsom’s tightest COVID restrictions
California health officials on Thursday said they expect to extend the existing three-week shutdown order for the 13-county Greater Sacramento region for at least a few days and likely longer in an effort to stop local hospital intensive care units from begin over-run with COVID-19 patients.
At the moment, the region, which includes Placer, Sacramento, El Dorado, Yolo and nine surrounding counties, has only 14.4% available capacity in local hospital ICUs, below the 15% standard Gov. Gavin Newsom set in late November when he announced further economic shutdowns.
That initial announcement came as the state began experiencing a fall surge in new coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and death, a surge that notably extended into some smaller counties that had only been lightly hit by the virus in spring and summer.
The new restrictions required restaurants to shut all on-site dinning, indoor or outdoor, and also shuttered barbers, hair and nail salons.
The initial three-week shutdown period for the Sacramento region was scheduled to end at midnight on Thursday. Officials in early afternoon announced it would be extended, but said they were uncertain how long the extension will last. They will come out with more information on Saturday, they said.
“While the Greater Sacramento region’s daily current ICU capacity numbers have been relatively consistent at approximately 14%, early projections over the next four weeks show ICU capacity is likely to drop,” the state said in an afternoon press release. “Therefore, the order will likely be extended for that region.
“Official ICU projections for the Greater Sacramento region will be posted on January 2 based on January 1 data,” state officials said.
Earlier in the week, the state extended similar restrictions on San Joaquin and Southern California counties. The Bay Area is under the same restrictions, as well.
Sacramento County health officials said they are in agreement with the shutdown extension.
Dr. Olivia Kasirye, Sacramento County health officer, said she believes Sacramento should stick with the deep shutdown for now, given the likelihood of an upcoming spike in cases from Christmas and New Year’s Eve gatherings.
“It is true our numbers have hovered around 15% (ICU capacity) and slightly above, but I think the concern is the projections for the next four weeks,” she said. “There is still some level of uneasiness about the impact of the holidays and also the fact that San Joaquin and Southern California don’t have ICU capacity at all, and the question of whether that will impact the Sacramento region.
“There is a sense that you don’t want to take us off too soon, and then the following week, the ICU capacity drops.”
Kasirye said her best-case scenario is that cases and hospitalizations will be falling by the end of January. That coupled with increased vaccinations will create perhaps the first real light at the end of the tunnel.
“I would love to see that we have peaked and our numbers are beginning to reduce,” she said. “I’d like to see our rates reducing, and being able to have more clinics available for vaccinations.”