The City of Healdsburg will suspend all parks and recreation programs, events, and facility use/rentals coordinated through its Community Services Department effective March 14, through March 31. The suspended gatherings include all City-operated recreation programs, classes, activities, events, special event permits, facility rentals, and picnic reservations. These suspensions are in addition to the Healdsburg Senior Center programs and events suspended yesterday.
The City is suspending the following programs and services through March 31, 2020:
- All parks and recreation classes, activities, camps, and sports programs.
- Operations at the Healdsburg Community Center, Healdsburg Senior Center, and the Swim Center
- Special event permits, park permits, and picnic reservations
- Rentals and meetings at the Community Center and Senior Center
- And in consultation with the Tayman Group, events and gatherings at the Villa Chanticleer
This decision comes after guidance from Gov. Gavin Newsom to postpone all non-essential gatherings through the end of March. Specifically, the California Department of Public Health finds the following:
- Large gatherings that include 250 people or more should be postponed or canceled. This includes concerts, conferences, and professional, college, and school sporting events.
- Smaller gatherings held in venues that do not allow social distancing of six feet per person should be postponed or canceled. This includes gatherings in crowded auditoriums, rooms or other venues.
- Gatherings of people at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19 should be limited to no more than 10 people. This includes gatherings at retirement facilities, assisted living facilities, developmental homes, and support groups for people with health conditions.
- A “gathering” is any event or convening that brings together people in a single room or space at the same time, such as an auditorium, stadium, arena, large conference room, meeting hall, cafeteria, or any other indoor or outdoor space.
In addition, the Sonoma County Health Officer issued an order that:
- Large gatherings shall be postponed or canceled. A large gathering is a gathering that include 250 people or more and includes, but is not limited to, concerts, conferences, and professional, college, and school sporting events.
- Gatherings of individuals who are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19 shall be limited to no more than 10 people, except for family gatherings. This includes, but shall not be limited to, gatherings such as those at retirement facilities, assisted living facilities, developmental homes, and support groups for people with health conditions.
- Smaller gatherings held in venues that do not allow social distancing of six feet per person should be postponed or canceled. This includes gatherings in crowded auditoriums, rooms or other venues.
- Gatherings that are not covered by this Order should only be conducted when they are essential-that is, if the activity is essential and could not be postponed or achieved without gathering, meaning that some other means of communication could not be used to conduct the essential activity.
During this time staff will be available at each facility and answering phones and email during normal office hours:
This situation continues to evolve, so please monitor the City’s web site at www.cityofhealdsburg.org and our Facebook pages www.facebook.com/cityofhealdsburg, www.facebook.com/healdsburgcommunityservices, and www.facebook.com/healdsburgseniorcenter for updates.
For more information on the California Department of Health’s advisory regarding gatherings: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/CDPH%20Document%20Library/Gathering_Guidance_03.11.20.pdf
For more information from Sonoma County Public Health: https://socoemergency.org/emergency/novel-coronavirus/