Temporary hold on all sports in Santa Clara County

New virus restrictions include the SF 49ers

Santa Clara County is expected to release new COVID-19 restrictions in light of its rising caseload Saturday, including a temporary ban on all high school, collegiate and professional sports, a mandatory quarantine for those traveling into the region from more than 150 miles away and new capacity limits for indoor businesses, according to county sources.

The new restrictions arrive as California experiences its worst COVID-19 surge yet and within hours of a similar rollback from San Francisco County, which was placed into the state’s most restrictive “purple” reopening tier starting Saturday.

Santa Clara County’s new restrictions will include a 14- day quarantine for all those traveling to and from the county from more than 150 miles away, according to documents obtained by this news organization, as well as a temporary ban on sporting activities — including professional sports like the 49ers and Sharks.

The new restrictions also have an affect on college football teams like Stanford and San Jose State.

Cardrooms must temporarily close, while hotels and other facilities must be open only for essential travel or to facilitate isolation or quarantine. Stores must be limited to 10% capacity, excepting grocery stores, drug stores and pharmacies, which may operate at 25% capacity.

Health care workers traveling into the county to provide care — or patients — will be exempt from quarantine. The new directives will go into effect on Monday at 12:01 a.m. and last until at least Dec. 21st, a time period of three weeks.

Meanwhile in San Francisco, Mayor London Breed and Director of Health Dr. Grant Colfax said Saturday that the county would close indoor worship and movie theaters, indoor gyms, and indoor operations at museums, aquariums, and zoos, as well as outdoor carousels, Ferris wheels and train rides starting at noon Sunday. Retail must limit capacity to 25%, while restaurants may operate outdoors.

A curfew will meanwhile be put in place starting Monday night, which would bar non- essential travel between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.

Fifty- one of 58 counties — more than 90% of California’s population — are within the state’s purple reopening tier.

Los Angeles County released its own stay-at-home order Friday night.