Placerville leaders want coronavirus order lifted – including the recovering vice mayor
Placerville is among the first local governments in the state asking California Gov. Gavin Newsom to strongly consider lifting the stay-at-home order earlier. The vice mayor in El Dorado County’s seat says the coronavirus infection rate there is low, and businesses need to reopen and return the community to some normalcy.
The City Council on Tuesday voted 5-0 to direct the city manager, the mayor and the vice mayor to draft a letter to Newsom, urging him to allow Placerville to reopen sooner rather than later, according to the Mountain Democrat newspaper, which first reported the council’s decision Friday.
Newsom issued the statewide order on March 19, which has since been extended, to slow the coronavirus spread and limit the number of infections that could severely strain medical resources and endanger those most vulnerable to the respiratory disease COVID-19. The order led to temporary closures of many businesses, while others, such as grocery stores, have been deemed essential and have stayed open.
The governor revealed earlier this week six indicators that the state needs to meet before it can begin to lift its stay-at-home order, but he gave no specific calendar dates of when the order will be lifted.
Placerville Vice Mayor Dennis Thomas said at Tuesday’s City Council meeting that it’s “mind numbing” for business owners to not know when exactly the statewide order will be lifted. He said it’s tough for owners of closed businesses to plan right now for their families and their employees, wondering what loans they should apply for when they don’t know when they’ll be allowed to reopen.
“Right now, it’s just a big open question mark,” Thomas said during the council meeting, which was held via the Zoom teleconferencing platform and is posted on the city’s website and YouTube.
El Dorado County, with only 11 active COVID-19 infections, is different from counties with larger populations and higher infection rates, Thomas said Tuesday.
As of Friday afternoon, El Dorado County had 36 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and was reporting 31 of those infected have recovered. The county has no COVID-19 deaths reported, according to its data available online. The city of El Dorado Hills has most reported infections with 14, and the South Lake Tahoe area has 11. Health officials have reported five COVID-19 cases in greater Placerville.
“We’re doing it right,” said Thomas, who was among those in the county who contracted COVID-19. He said at Tuesday’s meeting that he’s about 95 percent recovered and has regained some of his energy.
The governor has in recent weeks said his administration has expected California’s coronavirus infection peak to be a “moment” beginning around mid-to-late May that could stretch for days or weeks.
Thomas said deciding when to reopen communities should be based on facts and statistics, and he said he feels state officials have not provided specific details on what statistics will determine when to reopen.
Closed businesses
But owners of closed businesses are responding with emotion, which is understandable when they see a neighboring business open because they sell food or gasoline, Thomas said.
“And I’m getting really frustrated at how these businesses are being disadvantaged,” he said during the council meeting.
He said maybe businesses can reopen with everyone required to wear masks or restaurants with only 30 percent capacity. Placerville should not be expected to go along with the rest of the state, the vice mayor said, adding that the city doesn’t expect to receive “special privileges but appropriate privileges.”
“This community can open with a measured approach,” Thomas said of Placerville. “I don’t think we should sit idle and our businesses should sit idle when it’s not necessary.”
Councilwoman Kara Taylor agreed that many in Placerville are frustrated over the business closures, but she said she has doubts that customers will initially have enough confidence to shop or patronize businesses if they were to reopen. That situation could make it more difficult for businesses to stay open and pay employees, she said.
Taylor said it might be more beneficial for closed businesses to stay closed and receive government stimulus funding. She doesn’t think the council has the expertise needed to decide when businesses should reopen, she said, and that should be left to county and local health officials to decide.
Lake Tahoe visitors
Councilwoman Patricia Borelli asked whether Placerville, if it were to reopen earlier than other communities, could experience the same problems South Lake Tahoe had when many continued to flock to the resort town ignoring the statewide stay-at-home order and straining local resources.
Mayor Michael Saragosa had the same concern about Placerville opening sooner than others.
“We don’t want to become a playground for Sacramento and the Bay Area if they think Placerville is open or El Dorado County is open,” the mayor said.
El Dorado County’s chief health officer on April 3 issued a no-travel order for the Lake Tahoe basin, telling visitors to stay away from the popular vacation spot. Officials said at the time that the area continued to attract too many people, so Dr. Nancy Williams felt it was necessary to issue a new order that specifically detailed how visitors were putting the entire Lake Tahoe population at risk.
Williams issued a shelter-in-place order for El Dorado County on March 19, which has been extended through April 30.
Councilman Mark Acuna said the Lake Tahoe no-travel order is something that can be implemented in Placerville that allows the city to reopen while keeping its infection rate low.
“There’s a growing amount of evidence that we should consider opening sooner rather than later,” Acuna said.
The mayor said he’s confident they can create some normalcy in Placerville while keeping others out.
This story was originally published April 17, 2020 at 6:10 PM.
