South Bay officials are urging residents to stay home this holiday season after seeing the highest number of coronavirus cases to date.
If the current rate of new cases continue, officials said hospitals in Santa Clara County will reach capacity in three weeks. The grim outlook prompted the county's health officer to tell residents to "cancel your holiday plans, don't travel."
Santa Clara County Public Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody on Friday said COVID-19 cases are now at record levels in the county.
"We need to think about our loved ones," she said. "We need to protect ourselves and them by just wearing a mask, social distance -- have your Thanksgiving outside."
In neighboring San Mateo County, which is currently in the state's red tier of reopening guidelines, officials are preparing to be eventually included into a curfew announced by the state this week for counties in the most restricted purple tier. The reasoning? The virus does not respect county lines.
