Berkeley Stay-At-Home Order Extended As Bay Area’s ICUs Fill

BERKELEY, CA — The availability of intensive care unit beds in the Bay Area fell below 15-percent on Wednesday, triggering a mandatory 3-week stay-at-home order. ICU capacity fell today to 12.9 percent, according to the state's COVID-19 data dashboard.

Alameda County, including the City of Berkeley, voluntarily adopted the order early, one of 5 counties to do so, in an effort to slow the coronavirus surge. But the surge continues unabated, filling hospital rooms and ICU beds.

The new mandatory order takes effect at 11:59 p.m. on Thursday. The only remaining holdouts — San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Napa, and Solano counties — are now forced into the stay-at-home order, which is extended for all counties until Jan. 8.

But restrictions will not be automatically lifted — ICU bed availability must rise above 15-percent.

The bottom line is that things will not change here in Berkeley as we were already under the mandatory guidelines, but we will not open as soon as hoped.

The order prohibits private gatherings of any size, except for outdoor church services and political demonstrations. That includes no holiday gathering with people outside of your household.

Outdoor activities like walking, hiking, and cycling are encouraged as a way to get exercise and relieve stress.

On Wednesday, California reported more than 20,000 newly diagnosed coronavirus cases and more than 200 deaths.

Alameda County has recorded 39,598 cases since the start of the pandemic with 1,599 in Berkeley. The county also reports a total of 563 deaths.

— Written by Patch editors Bea Karnes and Gideon Rubin