People wait outside of the Steve Jobs Theater before an event to announce new Apple products | Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Photo Silicon Valley county bans all mass gatherings for 3 weeks in most forceful U.S. action yet

Health officials in the heart of the Silicon Valley took the most dire coronavirus steps yet in the U.S. by banning large public gatherings for three weeks starting Wednesday.

The move came after the county announced its first death on Monday, a woman in her 60s with chronic health conditions who was Santa Clara's first case of transmission without a known source. The county of nearly 2 million residents — home to the world's most famous tech companies — has 43 confirmed cases of coronavirus and is fast becoming a California epicenter for the disease.


The mandatory order applies to all events with at least 1,000 people and was issued by Sara Cody, Santa Clara County's health officer. Cody last week recommended that sporting events and other mass gatherings be canceled, but her advice was ignored by the NHL's San Jose Sharks, which played three home games since then, and the MLS' San Jose Earthquakes, which played Saturday at their home stadium.

"This is a big decision to issue a legal order such as this," Cody said at a press conference Monday evening. "We needed to carefully consider it. I think over the last five days, the uptick in cases, particularly those where we found no link to travel or other cases ... that is a tipping point for us and it's time to issue an order."

Cody said 21 cases — nearly half of the county's total — are now believed to have been contracted through community contact.

The order lasts until 11:59 p.m. on March 31, and it comes with criminal penalties for noncompliance.

The Sharks are scheduled to have three home games during the ban, while the Earthquakes have one home game.