South San Francisco, CA June 4, 2020 SMC Press Release
San Mateo County Health Officer Dr. Scott Morrow today revised the shelter in place order to allow outdoor dining and charter boat operations with safety measures and other restrictions to ensure social distancing. It also amends the guidelines for funerals.
The order goes into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, June 6, 2020.
Restaurants
Restaurants and other food facilities that were previously licensed to provide sit-down food service may provide outdoor, sit-down meals by working with local agencies to ensure compliance with local laws, regulations, and permitting requirements. Restaurants and other businesses (like retail) wishing to operate in the public right of way must also work with their governing jurisdiction on any additional requirements needed to support community safety
Appendix-C of the shelter in place order outlines the safety measures from the State of California and the County of San Mateo that operators must follow if they wish to provide outdoor dining.
For restaurants and other food facilities reopening after having been completely closed for a month or longer, operators must ensure prior to opening that all equipment, plumbing, and ventilation systems are operational and that food stored on site during closure has been maintained at proper temperatures and is not contaminated (if in doubt, it must be discarded). Additional measures are outlined in the appendix.
State guidelines apply to all restaurants and other food facilities regardless of whether they were ever closed. The steps are outlined in the document, “COVID-19 Industry Guidance: Dine-In Restaurants.”
Operators are also required to designate COVID-19 supervisor/person(s) in charge to ensure the implementation of the food facilities’ health and safety plan and Social Distancing Protocol (Appendix A). The designated COVID-19 supervisor/person(s) in charge must always be present on-site during business hours.
In addition to the cleaning and sanitary measures, tables must be arranged to ensure that no customer is sitting within six feet of any other customer at a separate table. Patrons at a single table are limited to no more than six, and they must be from the same household or living unit.
Lounge areas, like fire pits, can be occupied by multiple households or living units if six-foot distancing is maintained. Entertainment events are not allowed.
Facilities that open for outdoor dining must offer curbside pickup, takeaway, and/or delivery service alternatives. Lines for pickup or takeaway must be in a separate area from the outdoor dining area to prohibit patrons from unnecessarily accessing the outdoor dining area.
Alcohol may be sold to patrons in conjunction with a meal, but it may not be sold independently, and bar areas must remain closed to customers.
Patrons are required to wear a face covering except when sitting at a table.
Charter Boats
Appendix-C also outlines the social distancing and safety measures for charter boats to operate with passengers.
The number of people aboard the boat must be limited so that at least six feet of spacing can be maintained at all times. Rod holders must be spaced at least six feet apart from each other, and boats must prohibit the shared handling of equipment, such as bait and tackle or binoculars.
Passengers must not shake hands, share food or drinks, or engage in any physical contact with each other or with the captain and crew. The boat and equipment must be washed after each trip. Bathrooms must be sanitized after each use and contain hand sanitizer or soap and water. Passengers are permitted to bring hand-held lunch coolers only — no large coolers are allowed.
The crew, captain and passengers are required to wear face coverings at all times except when eating or drinking.
Passengers of a single household or living unit are not subject to the social distancing requirements on the boat. They are not required to maintain a six-foot distance from each other, can have rod holders closer to each other than six feet, and can share equipment, food or drink with each other, but they must wear face coverings in the presence of captain or crew (face coverings are optional for children 12 and prohibited for those two and under).
Funerals
The new order also permits indoor funerals with up to 10 individuals present. Outdoor funerals are limited to 25 or fewer.
Frequently Asked Questions about interpretation and implementation of the Shelter in Place Order can be found at https://www.smcgov.org/shelter-place-faqs
LINKS
- State of California Resilience Roadmap (website)
- Text of San Mateo County’s June 4, 2020 Shelter in Place Order (PDF)
- Social Distancing Protocol (Appendix A) (PDF)
- Small Construction Project Safety Protocol (Appendix B1) (PDF)
- Large Construction Project Safety Protocol (Appendix B2) (PDF)
- Additional Businesses Permitted to Operate (Appendix C-1) (PDF)
- Allowed Additional Activities (Appendix C-2) (PDF)
- Face Covering Order (PDF)
Health Officer orders and statements are found at the San Mateo County Health website:
https://www.smchealth.org/post/health-officer-statements-and-orders