Why Sonoma County currently has the Bay Area’s toughest COVID-19 restrictions

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, Sonoma County has typically issued COVID-19 public health orders in concert with other San Francisco Bay Area counties.

But with its Jan. 12 health order banning large gatherings for 30 days, the county acted unilaterally in the face of an alarming spike in cases.

Sonoma County Health Officer Dr. Sundari Mase again addressed that move Thursday in a COVID-19 press briefing, saying the local health order was issued due to impact of the omicron surge on local hospitals. She said:

• Sonoma County has one of the lowest capacity hospital systems in the state for a mid-sized metro region.

• Local hospital officials were sounding the alarm about staffing shortages affecting their ability to admit new patients as omicron cases crested.

• There are widespread outbreaks in local skilled nursing facilities, homeless shelters and in the Sonoma County Jail.

• Sonoma County has a greater proportion of people over 65 than other counties in the Bay Area, mean more of the population is at higher risk of developing severe cases of COVID-19.

• The county has among the Bay Area’s biggest health and economic disparities affecting communities of color and other disadvantaged residents.

Mase said there currently were no plans to extend the ban beyond Feb. 10.

She also said it appears new COVID-19 cases have peaked in Sonoma County, as they have in other Bay Area counties.

“We think our 30-day restriction on the size of gatherings helped us turn the corner and ease some of the stresses experienced by our hospitals and other healthcare partners,” she said.