Sacramento, Yolo counties could finally reopen more businesses under new Newsom guidelines
Sacramento and Yolo officials say they expect to be among the next set of California counties to be allowed to reopen part of their economies under new coronavirus-control standards announced Monday by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Newsom’s public health officials previously said counties could not reopen restaurants, stores, offices and other venues unless they have gone two weeks without a death from COVID-19.
On Monday, however, that requirement disappeared from the state’s online list of criteria. At a noon briefing, Newsom and his health agency secretary, Dr. Mark Ghaly, said they have modified the reopening requirements to focus more on counties’ abilities to maintain control of the spread of the virus, especially in group homes.
That appears to clear the way for Sacramento and Yolo to win state approval this week for partial reopenings. Neither had previously qualified because both had registered recent COVID-19 deaths.
Sacramento County officials say they plan to submit their reopening attestation documents to the state on Tuesday after getting approval from the county Board of Supervisors. They say they hope for an immediate state OK to allow restaurants and stores to reopen for interior dining and shopping this week.
“Sacramento meets all the qualifications for the variance to move further into stage two,” county spokeswoman Kimberly Nava said in a text Monday afternoon. “The Board of Supervisors has this item on its agenda for tomorrow’s meeting.”
Yolo officials will send updated formal “attestation” documents to the state Monday afternoon, certifying that they believe they meet state standards to move one step further into the governor’s Phase 2 of economic reopening, ahead of larger coastal counties such as Los Angeles and San Francisco, which are choosing to take a more cautious approach.
“We could very well receive permission from the state tomorrow,” Yolo Board of Supervisors chairman Gary Sandy said.
Moving into Phase 2 is “a way for people to regain a sense of normalcy,” Sandy said. But it could be another week until the county officially allows businesses to open under Phase 2, including giving restaurants the OK to offer dine-in options.
County officials are working with city officials and local businesses to promote safe practices, such as allowing for more outdoor and patio seating. Sandy said county officials want to take steps to reduce the chance that residents and businesses will engage in risky behavior.
“We don’t want to go backwards,” Sandy said. “We want to plan properly. We want people to enjoy themselves, and enjoy themselves safely.”
New reopening rules for California counties
So far, 24 of the state’s 58 counties have been given the go-ahead to partially reopen businesses. Those include Placer County, where the Galleria at Roseville shopping center is expected to reopen at the end of this week and where restaurants began serving customers in dining areas last week.
Notably, Sacramento County officials have not said whether they will allow for immediate reopening of Arden Fair or other malls, should they get the go-ahead from the governor. Some Arden Fair stores, though, are open for curbside pickup.
Other local counties that won the approval for partial reopenings last week include El Dorado, Amador, Nevada, Yuba and Sutter counties.
Newsom’s new set of reopening criteria are largely similar but more nuanced that previous standards the governor set on May 15. Among the changes:
▪ Counties can’t have more than a 5 percent increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations in the last seven days on average. For smaller counties where a single new hospitalized patient could cause a significant percentage jump, they will have to show that they had fewer than 20 COVID-19 patients hospitalized on any day in the past 14 days.
▪ Counties would also need to show that they had no more than 25 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents in the past 14 days, or a positive test rate of less than 8 percent. That criteria is notable in the case of a county that may not push for more than minimal levels of testing, Newsom said.
Newsom said the new criteria would enable 53 of the state’s 58 counties to more quickly reopen businesses without conflicting with the stay-at-home order he issued on March 19 to slow the spread of the outbreak.
Both Sacramento and Yolo had lobbied the governor in the last week to change the death criteria by arguing that many of their deaths were occurring in congregate living facilities, rather than in the general community.
While dropping the zero-death requirement, Newsom on Monday upped the ante for counties like Sacramento and Yolo by calling on all counties to work more closely with skilled nursing facilities, including having weekly communications and developing strategies for staffing and PPE shortages.
California since May 8 has allowed retail stores to reopen for curbside pickup and some restaurants have begun offering seated service.
Newsom said he is preparing to announce statewide orders in coming weeks that will allow more in-store retail shopping, barbers and salons to open and professional sporting events without spectators.
This story was originally published May 18, 2020 at 2:33 PM.