We remain committed to the health and safety of our community. Your health and safety is our top priority and we are committed to working together to help our community get through this together. Information continues to change rapidly, please check back often for updated information regarding resources for residents, seniors, businesses, and more.
For up to the minute updates, please visit the City accounts on Facebook (@cityofgilroy), and Instagram (@cityofgilroy). For emergency alerts, please sign up for AlertSCC and Nixle.
| Novel (new) Coronavirus Stay healthy and up to date on novel coronavirus. | Nuevo Coronavirus Manténgase saludable y actualizado sobre el nuevo coronavirus. |
On January 25, 2021, the State ended the Regional Stay Home Order, moving Santa Clara County back into the Purple Tier.
However, Santa Clara County continues to experience an alarming rate of COVID-19 transmission, and hospital and ICU capacities remain extremely limited in the county and region. Due to this, the County has announced that effective January 25, 2021, additional restrictions to the Purple Tier, imposed by the County Health Officer, will be in effect. As always, where there is a conflict between the State and County orders, the stricter of the two must be followed.
Below is a summary of the changes:
- Outdoor dining may resume, subject to the Mandatory Directive for Dining. Indoor dining remains prohibited. Bars, breweries, distilleries, and pubs may serve alcohol only outdoors and only in the same transaction as a meal.
- Personal care services may resume indoors and outdoors, subject to the Mandatory Directive for Personal Care Services.
- Professional and collegiate sports may resume, subject to the updated Mandatory Directive for Collegiate and Professional Sports.
- Adult recreational sports activities may resume subject to the updated Mandatory Directive for Gatherings, including specific rules in Section 9 of that Directive.
- Youth sports may resume subject to the State’s guidance applicable to those activities, as well as the County’s Mandatory Directive for Programs Serving Children and Youth.
- Most businesses that are allowed to open indoor operations to the public must limit capacity of their publicly accessible space to 20%. The County’s Mandatory Directive on Capacity Limitations has been updated to reflect current openings and closings.
- Outdoor gatherings with up to three households are now allowed for any purpose. Larger outdoor gatherings with up to 200 people are allowed only for political, religious, or ceremonial purposes, or as otherwise specifically allowed by the State. Indoor gatherings of any kind remain prohibited. All allowed gatherings must comply with the County’s updated Mandatory Directive for Gatherings.
- The County’s Mandatory Directive on Travel, which requires most people who travel into the county from more than 150 miles away to quarantine for 10 days upon their arrival, is still in effect.
- The County’s Mandatory Directive for Lodging Facilities is still in effect. Lodging facilities may not provide lodging services for non-essential purposes, such as tourism, recreational, or leisure purposes. Non-essential travel should be avoided, especially in light of new variants of COVID-19 that are circulating globally and in the United States.
Key rules remain in effect and applicable to all businesses:
- Telework: All businesses must continue to require workers to do their jobs from home whenever possible. Workers can go into work only to complete the job duties they can’t complete from home.
- Social Distancing Protocol requirements: All businesses must complete and submit a Revised Social Distancing Protocol for each of their facilities on the County’s website at COVID19Prepared.org. Social Distancing Protocols submitted prior to October 11, 2020 are no longer valid. The Revised Social Distancing Protocols must be filled out using an updated template for the Social Distancing Protocol at COVID19Prepared.org.
- Positive case reporting: All businesses (and governmental entities) are legally required to report to the Public Health Department within 4 hours if they learn that any of their workers are confirmed to be positive for COVID-19. They must also ensure workers alert them if they test positive.
- Capacity Limitation and Metering: All businesses must comply with applicable capacity limitations. All businesses (except for acute care hospitals) with indoor facilities open to the public must establish a “metering system” to ensure that the applicable capacity limits are not exceeded by, for example, posting an employee at the facility entrance to track the number of people entering and exiting.
- Indoor Breakroom Closure: All businesses (except acute care hospitals) must limit employees’ access to indoor workplace breakrooms as described in section 3 of the Mandatory Directive on Capacity Limitations.
Additional information is available at the links below.
Current City Services
City facilities and buildings will remain closed to the public per the Santa Clara County Public Health Department’s revised shelter-in-place orders, until further notice. Essential services provided by the City such as emergency services and water and sewer operations will continue.
The following City services have closed facilities, but are still providing service to our community remotely:
Community Development - call (408) 846-0451
- Building Services: Per the updated May 4th, Santa Clara County Shelter in Place Order and as permitted under the State Shelter Order. All small and large construction activities are allowed to continue under the Construction Safety Protocols listed in Appendix B of the Shelter in Order.
On-site inspections will only be conducted on those sites adhering to safety protocols outlined in Appendix B. Some inspections may be performed remotely through the use of photos or videos. Please view the Building-Safety-Division page for more information or call 408-846-0451. Electronic building plan submittals are being accepted and reviewed. All electronic submittal communication will take place over email, phone, or other electronic means. Send your electronic plan submittal to PlanSubmittal@cityofgilroy.org.
- Code Enforcement: Code Enforcement staff are currently only responding to life/safety matters. If there is an immediate threat, please call 9-1-1. For non-urgent life/safety code enforcement matters, please call 408-846-0451 and leave a message. Someone will respond within two business days.
- Encroachment Permits: The City will continue to issue encroachment permits for essential work, and to support projects identified as essential by the County order. No other work will be permitted in the City right-of-way at this time. If you believe your project is classified as essential and requires an encroachment permit, please submit the permit application via email to permit.tech@cityofgilroy.org. The permit application is available on our City website at http://www.ci.gilroy.ca.us/244/Encroachment-and-Transportation-Permits. You should receive a response within two business days.
- Fire Inspection, Hazardous Materials, and Wastewater Pre-Treatment: Fire Prevention staff are currently only responding to life/safety matters. If there is an immediate threat, please call 9-1-1. For non-urgent life/safety fire inspection, hazardous materials, or pre-treatment matters, please call 408-846-0451 and leave a message. Someone will respond within two business days. There is limited review of new construction plan checks for essential projects/operations.
- Housing Services: Housing staff is providing limited, remote services including the review of quarterly reports and payments to agencies that are CDBG and Gilroy Housing Trust Fund, recipients. Staff will reach out via email requesting quarterly reports.
- Planning Division: Remote service is available for Planning applications. All communication will be conducted through email, phone, or other electronic means. New applications are being accepted at this time.
Due to limited staff availability, turn-around times may be delayed. For questions about the status of applications already submitted to Planning, please call 408-846-0451 and leave a message.
Human Resources/Risk Management - call (408) 846-0228
Finance - call (408) 846-0420
- Business Licensing: Finance is able to renew or process new business licenses.
Renewal notices have been mailed to businesses and payments can be mailed to Attn: Business License Renewal, City of Gilroy, 7351 Rosanna St, Gilroy, CA 95020. Please allow 4-6 weeks for business license certificates to arrive.
New businesses may access the business license application and information on the City's Business License page. The completed application can be emailed to UB@cityofgilroy.org or mailed to Attn: Business Licensing, City of Gilroy, 7351 Rosanna St, Gilroy, CA 95020 for review and processing. Please allow 2 weeks for review and processing.
Business license questions? Please contact us at UB@cityofgilroy.org or you may leave a voicemail at (408) 846-0420.
- Utilities: City Hall offices are currently closed and we are not able to receive payments in-person. Payments can be made online at https://www.onlinebiller.com/gilroy/or mailed to CITY OF GILROY, PO BOX 398842, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94139-8842.
- Monthly statements are being issued;
- Payment plans are available, please email your request to UB@cityofgilroy.org or leave a message at (408) 846-0420;
- Late penalties will not be applied to bills that become due during the closure of City Hall;
- Water service will not be terminated for non-payment;
- To stop or start water service, please submit the service application via email at UB@cityofgilroy.org, fax to (408) 846-0421 or mail to the Finance Department, City of Gilroy, 7351 Rosanna St, Gilroy, CA 95020;
For questions regarding water service or payments, please contact Finance Department staff via email at UB@cityofgilroy.org or leave a message at (408) 846-0420. Please note we are experiencing a high volume of customer contacts and response times are taking longer than usual.
The City is still providing essential maintenance and operations for local utilities water and sewer, such as:
- Water
- Maintain Water Supply and Treatment
- Ensure the safety of all wells, mains, pump stations, and reservoirs
- Water service turn-ons
- Water quality testing
- Sewer
- Maintain safe wastewater collection system
- Ensure the safety of siphons and pump/lift stations
- Maintain Sewage Treatment operations
Public Works - call (408) 846-0451
- Development Application Review and Engineering: Public Works staff are currently reviewing development projects, proceeding with inspection of projects, coordinating and reviewing maintenance agreements, and providing stormwater compliance reviews as necessary.
- Encroachment Permits: The City will continue to issue encroachment permits for essential work, and to support projects identified as essential by the County order. No other work will be permitted in the City right-of-way at this time. If you believe your project is classified as essential and requires an encroachment permit, please submit the permit application via email to permit.tech@cityofgilroy.org. The permit application is available on our City website at http://www.ci.gilroy.ca.us/244/Encroachment-and-Transportation-Permits. You should receive a response within two business days.
- Transportation (Hauling) Permits: Transportation permits for the hauling of material to support essential services will continue to be permitted by the City. Please submit the permit application via email to permit.tech@cityofgilroy.org. The permit application is available on our City website at http://www.ci.gilroy.ca.us/244/Encroachment-and-Transportation-Permits. You should receive a response within one business day.
Recreation - call (408) 846-0460
- Public Parks and Facilities: Public parks are open, however, playgrounds, dog parks, handball courts, and basketball courts are closed. Tennis courts are open at this time. The City will continue to ensure the safe operation of parks with weed abatement, opening and closing parks, and emptying trash bins. The City will also continue to maintain essential buildings with increased custodial services.
- Recreation Classes & Programs: All recreation programs including adaptive, adult, preschool, youth, sports, and youth programs have been canceled. Refunds will be automatically issued. Please contact the Recreation Division for more information at 408-846-0460. Check out our Virtual Recreation Center for activity ideas and virtual activity resources.
- Reservations of City Facilities & Public Parks: All reservations for City facilities and public parks will be canceled with automatic refunds.
- Senior Center: All senior programs are canceled. Box lunches and the Second Harvest Food Bank Brown Bag will continue to be provided.
Partner Agencies
Recology South Valley
Gilroy Unified School District
Gavilan College
Resources
COVID-19 Testing
The Public Health Department recommends that those with COVID-19 symptoms be tested. The Health Department is also recommending testing for the following groups of people even if they do not have symptoms of COVID-19, including:
- All persons with or without symptoms who have been exposed to someone who was confirmed to have COVID-19;
- Any frontline or healthcare worker who regularly interacts with members of the public and cannot maintain social distancing at work (ideally test once a month).
- This may include those who work in healthcare, homeless shelters, jails, and other custodial settings, food banks, public safety/emergency response, food service, grocery, construction, delivery, janitorial, transit, or social work, among other jobs.
- All persons who work in skilled nursing facilities (ideally test every two weeks).
Testing can also be requested through your healthcare provider.
Additional Testing Resources
Food and Meal Resources
Financial and Rental Resources
Utility Resources
How You Can Help
Additional Resources
Stay Informed
Information is changing frequently. The Health Department has a webpage dedicated to novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in English and Spanish at www.sccphd.org/coronavirus. The City of Gilroy will also keep a direct weblink to the County Public Health page at www.cityofgilroy.org.