Businesses must fill out form in order to reopen

An example of the form businesses must complete in order to reopen on Monday.

All Santa Clara County businesses planning to resume operations under the new health order, including those already open, must complete the new online social distancing protocol form and officials are urging businesses to do it before the Monday deadline.

The form can be found at https://www.sccgov.org/sites/covid19/Pages/social-distancing-protocol.aspx. On the same page is a 6-minute video explaining how to complete the form.

The county also changed the new health order, issued on July 2, from allowing indoor gatherings of up to 20, to no indoor gatherings allowed.

Outdoor gatherings of up to 60 people will still be allowed in accordance with social distance guidelines.

The new health order will allow most businesses to reopen such as hair and nail services, gyms and outdoor gatherings, as long as they adhere to social distancing rules, require masks and obey government capacity limits.

“The new order was created with harm reduction in mind, understanding that COVID-19 will be with us for a while and we must change the way we live and do business to prevent us from infecting one another,” said Santa Clara County Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody. “While the order allows more businesses and activities to resume, this must be done with care and adherence to the new safety and distancing protocols.”

The online form and checklist identifies a person responsible for compliance and confirms the business has proper signs, trains its employees, has an adequate plan to protect workers and the public as well as in the event of a positive case among its employees.

The new order is a risk-reduction plan that is intended to be in place for the next few months, though the end-date isn’t stated. The county’s original lockdown order was supposed to be for three weeks but has continued for three months and 25 days.

“The new order and directives for businesses, with strict measures to keep workers and customers safe, is a roadmap through our new normal,” said Supervisor Mike Wasserman. “Many businesses have been waiting for months to reopen and want to do so in as safe a manner as possible, these required protocols give them the means to do so.”

The county will take calls at (408) 961-5500 over the weekend to help businesses with the form. — Bay City News

3 Comments

  1. Isn’t that something? The county crushes your business, you have to lay off your employees and then you have to fill out a form for the privilege of reopening. These people at the county are so out of touch. Oh, don’t forget to wear your mask.

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