Santa Clara County issued more than $115K in fines for failing to comply with COVID-19 health rules
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Santa Clara County issued more than $115,000 in fines over the weekend to businesses failing to comply with local COVID-19 health guidelines, county officials said.
Santa Clara County issued more than $115,000 in fines over the weekend to businesses failing to comply with local COVID-19 health guidelines, county officials said.
The county's Business Compliance Unit visited 427 business sites and issued 181 violation notices during the Black Friday weekend, amounting to at least $115,000 in fines.
According to the county, that total may increase until the cited businesses rectify the violations. "As cases and hospitalizations continue to rise to new record levels, we need everyone in the community to do their part to protect the health of the community," said Michael Balliet, the director of the county's Business Compliance Unit.
County officials warned prior to Thanksgiving that the Business Compliance Unit would be stricter about issuing citations and fines during the weekend, typically a busy period of holiday shopping.
Santa Clara County issued more than $115,000 in fines over the weekend to businesses failing to comply with local COVID-19 health guidelines, county officials said.
The county normally allows businesses up to 72 hours to fix issues of compliance, absolving them of the fine.
“We know holiday shopping is critical to our Santa Clara County businesses,” James R. Williams, County Counsel for Santa Clara County said in a press release on Nov. 24. “Given the rising case counts, it is absolutely vital that everyone carefully and rigorously abide by the health orders.”
The three most frequent violations cited over the weekend were failure to submit a social distancing protocol to county health officials and failures to post signage indicating social distancing protocol and maximum capacity.
Under the current guidelines, grocery stores must limit capacity to 50 percent and clothing stores and other retailers, including malls, have a 25 percent capacity limit.
Fines issued ranged from $250 to $3,750, according to the county. Residents can report issues of compliance with local health guidance at scccovidconcerns.org.
KTVU contributed to this report.