Here’s when you can shop in stores, eat in restaurants and get haircuts in Yolo County
Yolo County officials announced Tuesday that residents will be able to shop in retail stores, dine in restaurants, get hair done at a barbershop or salon, or attend a religious service in a place of worship as state and local governments throughout California loosen coronavirus restrictions.
These activities will resume in Yolo County later this week, but customers, employees and attendees must comply with state health guidelines to slow the spread of the coronavirus, which causes the infectious respiratory disease COVID-19.
And Yolo County residents must also comply with a local health order that remains in effect until further notice: Facial coverings or masks are still mandatory for the public and businesses. And they must comply with social distancing protocols.
On Wednesday, nonessential offices can reopen, but telework is strongly encouraged, according to a news release. Non-essential retail, which includes shopping centers, can also reopen for in-store shopping on Wednesday, along with restaurants reopening for dine-in service.
County officials said some of these activities were approved last week by the state, but Yolo County delayed reopening to make sure the proper guidelines were in place and businesses had time to prepare.
Hair salons and barbershops can reopen Thursday and places of worship can host services starting Friday, but remote services are strongly encouraged, according to the news release.
Yolo County’s announcement came hours after Gov. Gavin Newsom said Sacramento and most other California counties can begin reopening hair salons and barbershops. But this only applies to the 47 counties, including Yolo, that have “self-attested” to reopen faster than the rest of the state. Customers and employees at salons and barbershops must wear face coverings.
On Monday, California health officials announced that retail stores statewide can now open for in-store shopping as long as they follow state guidelines to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection for workers and customers.
Also on Monday, the state released new guidelines for places of worship to reopen amid the coronavirus pandemic. These rules, regulations and recommendations are for places of worship to abide by once they are cleared by their counties’ health departments to resume in-person services.
Yolo County officials said older adults and people with underlying medical conditions should continue to stay at home as much as possible, except for going out for essential services and activities. They also said the public is responsible for adhering to the rules or guidelines at these establishments reopening.
Yolo County reported two new confirmed COVID-19 cases Tuesday and four new cases Monday. The county has 200 cases and 22 deaths related to the virus. Of those deaths, 15 have been connected to the Stollwood Convalescent Hospital in Woodland.
“The Board today weighed the progress we’ve made in terms of community health and safe practices and conveyed our support for reopening these activities to the public health officer,” Yolo County Board of Supervisors Chairman Gary Sandy said in the news release.
Sandy also said “This move underscores the importance of restoring the local economy in a way that safeguards existing COVID-19-related health protocols, such as social distancing, masks and frequent hand washing.”
Nail salons, gyms, libraries, public pools, playgrounds, nightclubs, concert venues, live audience sports, theme parks, hotels for leisure or tourism, higher education and others activities are still prohibited in Phase 2 of the state’s four-phase reopening plan, according to county officials.
