In early March, Santa Clara County announced a stay-at-home order and was declared by the state of California to be in a state of emergency. Although many hoped that the virus would dissipate by the end of 2020, as of January 2021, Santa Clara County is back in the purple tier, which indicates that the virus is widespread. For a couple of months, Santa Clara stayed in the orange tier, which meant that the county was at a moderate level. However, it has now jumped back to the fourth (purple) tier. It makes one wonder, why and how did this happen? Were the restrictions placed upon the county not enough? Lack of restrictions could be a valid reason as to why the COVID-19 cases in Santa Clara County are skyrocketing yet again.
In March, coronavirus came as a shock to all of us; it was sudden, and it wasn’t an easy transition. The gravity of the situation was put upon everybody all at once. This caused many to panic, resulting in people emptying store shelves for necessities such as toilet paper and hand sanitizer. As summer rolled around, people naturally became more restless. Summer is normally the time for traveling; however, this year the travel restrictions placed upon the world largely prevented it from happening. As we moved into the early fall, it seemed as though cases were decreasing, and it felt as if a great weight was lifting off our shoulders. Unfortunately, the weight came crashing down once more.
Restrictions began to be lifted earlier this fall, and many people were going out to eat at dine-in restaurants. Santa Clara County was steadily improving, moving from purple to the orange tier. There are a couple of factors to consider to see where everything went wrong to put us back in the purple tier.
First of all, the election results were announced on the morning of Saturday, November 7; for many, this was a cause for celebration. People took to the streets, gathering in large crowds, to show their support for the president-elect. Most of the footage from news coverage of these events around the country showed that people were wearing masks. However, many people were packed together, and they were not social distancing. After the events that day, areas all over the U.S. began to see spikes in COVID-19 cases once again. Santa Clara County was unfortunately not exempt from these surges of cases, as some of these crowds could be seen in cities such as San Jose, as shown on news reports..
Secondly, there is the issue of people becoming too lenient. For example, ‘COVID fatigue’ is a term which is now used to describe people who break the enforced COVID-19 safety rules. As previously stated, the initial shock of the coronavirus pandemic’s impending presence in the U.S. caused many people to panic and stay inside. However, it seems that this fear has worn off by a significant amount, especially in these last few months in Santa Clara County.
In Milpitas, the Great Mall has been open since mid-Summer; however; after the recent step back into the purple tier, restrictions have been reinstated so that only 25% capacity is allowed. I believe that the Great Mall should close down completely like it was in March to guarantee the safety of everyone in Milpitas. At the same time, we also need to look at the impact this virus has had on businesses and the broader economy. We also need to be aware of the small businesses that have had to shut down due to COVID-19 as well as the employees who have been laid off. In the long run, however, these people will be able to get their jobs back sooner if the spread of the virus is slowed and eventually stopped. For the health and safety of everyone, places like the Great Mall should shut their doors once again.
Overall, I believe that the city of Milpitas needs to step it up and move further than the basic safety protocols in controlling the spread of COVID-19. The restrictions put in place, such as staying six feet apart, wearing a mask, and limiting the capacity in stores, are sufficient; however they will only truly be effective if we follow them.