[Goose]

FWIW - San Mateo County as a temporary solution may not work as I suspect San Mateo county will have a similar outlook soon enough given that a number of San Mateo County residents utilize hospitals in Santa Clara County.

Actually, San Mateo County sees it the other way around. They get lots of people from San Francisco County and Santa Clara County in their hospitals. However, I don't disagree with your main point. The local area has pretty much the same problem everywhere.

My read on the subject of these restrictions has been made clear on this board before. The is no "scientific" evidence that these restrictions on sport will reduce COVID-19 spread, nor could there be. We haven't done the experiment under controlled conditions or anything close. It is probably not possible to do the required experiments. Similarly, restricting liquor sales in LA has no proven basis. The County Health Departments know full well that an SIP is coming. The effects (or lack thereof) of what they are doing now, as BC points out, will not be visible for two weeks at the earliest. If things don't get much better in the intervening two weeks (and there is no reason to assume they will), we will by then be in a situation where another SIP is needed. They can then tell us with a straight face they tried everything else. They are grasping at straws. Action is required. This is an action, so therefore do it.

By the way, the County Health Department does have the power to quarantine the county. This has happened may times in the past with various local epidemic outbreaks (yellow fever in particular). There is no question of the constitutionality or legal authority to do so. The County authority is granted by the State legislature. The Federal quarantine powers are oriented to preventing entry of disease into the USA, but in no case does in remove the power of the State to enforce a quarantine. The question is not does the power exist, but rather would it be used and enforced. I doubt it will be enforced.

[Goose]

FWIW - San Mateo County as a temporary solution may not work as I suspect San Mateo county will have a similar outlook soon enough given that a number of San Mateo County residents utilize hospitals in Santa Clara County.

Actually, San Mateo County sees it the other way around. They get lots of people from San Francisco County and Santa Clara County in their hospitals. However, I don't disagree with your main point. The local area has pretty much the same problem everywhere.

My read on the subject of these restrictions has been made clear on this board before. The is no "scientific" evidence that these restrictions on sport will reduce COVID-19 spread, nor could there be. We haven't done the experiment under controlled conditions or anything close. It is probably not possible to do the required experiments. Similarly, restricting liquor sales in LA has no proven basis. The County Health Departments know full well that an SIP is coming. The effects (or lack thereof) of what they are doing now, as BC points out, will not be visible for two weeks at the earliest. If things don't get much better in the intervening two weeks (and there is no reason to assume they will), we will by then be in a situation where another SIP is needed. They can then tell us with a straight face they tried everything else. They are grasping at straws. Action is required. This is an action, so therefore do it.

By the way, the County Health Department does have the power to quarantine the county. This has happened may times in the past with various local epidemic outbreaks (yellow fever in particular). There is no question of the constitutionality or legal authority to do so. The County authority is granted by the State legislature. The Federal quarantine powers are oriented to preventing entry of disease into the USA, but in no case does in remove the power of the State to enforce a quarantine. The question is not does the power exist, but rather would it be used and enforced. I doubt it will be enforced.