California's Santa Clara County bans large gatherings after 1st coronavirus death

A California county is imposing a ban of mass gatherings for several weeks due to the COVID-19 coronavirus.

Officials in Santa Clara County, which has a population of more than 1.7 million people and where the heart of Silicon Valley is located, announced that gatherings of more than 1,000 people will be banned for three weeks beginning on Wednesday, NBC Bay Area reported late Monday. This came shortly after health officials announced the first death from the coronavirus in the county, where 43 cases have been confirmed.

"Today's order and new recommendations will reduce the number of people who develop severe illness and will help prevent our healthcare system from becoming overwhelmed," Santa Clara County Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody said. "This is critically important for anyone with healthcare needs, not just those most vulnerable to serious illness from COVID-19."

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Previously, the city of Austin, Texas banned events with 2,500 or more people through May 1, though there are exceptions for cases where the organizers can show they have "mitigation plans for infectious diseases" in place, per KXAN. San Francisco has also banned "non-essential group events" in buildings owned by the city for two weeks. But Politico describes the ban in Santa Clara County as "the most dire coronavirus steps yet in the U.S."