Sara Cody

Along with other public health officers in the region, Cody was largely credited for promptly advocating for measures that would limit the spread of COVID-19 when the pandemic reached the United States in 2020.[8][9] She led the Santa Clara County Public Health Department to establish an incident command center on January 23, three days after the first confirmed case in the country, then established a contact tracing mechanism in an effort to stop the propagation of the disease.[7] Cody issued the first guidelines on the closure and cancelation of public gatherings on March 3, extending them to sporting events, festivals and bars on March 9.[7] She was an early advocate of requiring residents to "shelter-in-place", which was put in effect on March 16 in seven counties of the Bay area.,[10] with California Governor Gavin Newsom adopting that policy for the whole state three days later.

Cody explained that "If you are going to do something really drastic like shelter-in-place, you want to do it as early as you possibly can. Because if you wait to do it, you get all the harms, all of the social and economic disruptions, but you miss a lot of the benefit."[11][9]

Cody has made regular appearances on Bay Area press and video conferences, explaining county health policy and reminding residents that the COVID-19 battle is a long-term health concern: "Because we flattened the curve, it doesn’t mean that we are done. Because we are far, far, far from done."[16] In a press conference in April, Cody confirmed that the first United States COVID-19 death had actually occurred in the Bay Area on February 6, some 23 days prior to the previously known first death. This was the first of three early COVID-19 deaths, which Cody described as "iceberg tips", suggesting that there was a vast and unseen propagation.[17] Following one news conference, she became the subject of a viral meme, after she implored citizens to refrain from touching their faces, then licked her finger to turn a page.[7]

Cody received threats from residents unhappy with the drastic nature the measures put in place. In late August, the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office announced they arrested a man suspected of sending her several threatening letters, which used language typical of far-right movements. Police found 138 firearms at his residence. Charged with stalking and threatening a public official, he remained in jail while waiting for court proceedings. The police maintain 24-hour protection around Cody.[18][19]