BY EMILY MIBACH
Daily Post Staff Writer
A new stay-at-home order issued by San Mateo and Santa Clara counties yesterday (April 29) allows gardeners to go back to work.
The previous order, which expires on Sunday, only allowed gardeners to maintain the sanitation, habitability and safety of a property. Residents in Palo Alto, Menlo Park and Atherton complained.
In fact, Atherton’s town council sent a letter to the San Mateo County Health Officer, Dr. Scott Morrow, asking him to reconsider the restrictions for gardeners. Some residents said they were disabled and couldn’t care for their own yards.
One Menlo Park resident asked Mayor Cecilia Taylor during a virtual town hall meeting to talk to county officials about the restrictions because she didn’t think they took health concerns, such as debilitating allergies, into consideration when they drafted the order.
Under the new order, which begins next Monday at midnight, outdoor occupations such as gardeners and plant nurseries can begin work again.
In the order, those who work for such outdoor occupations must maintain social distancing.
Construction allowed
Among other facilities that may reopen are golf courses, skate parks and other spaces for outdoor activities where equipment is not shared. Construction will also be allowed to start back up, as long as social distancing protocols are followed.
San Mateo County has one difference from the rest of the new stay-at-home orders in the Bay Area — people can now travel up to 10 miles from their home for outside recreation. This is not limited by county borders, so if someone lives in San Francisco and lives within 10 miles of a beach in San Mateo County, they will not be ticketed for disobeying the stay-at-home order.
In the rest of the counties that issued the new order, including Santa Clara County, travel for outdoor recreation is still limited to 5 miles.
