Sacramento extends coronavirus stay-at-home order. But some restrictions are being lifted

Sacramento County health officials announced Wednesday they will extend the coronavirus stay-at-home order another three weeks to May 22, saying they want to see infection numbers drop and testing increase before they allow more businesses to open and more people back to work.

With warming weather, however, officials say they now will allow tennis courts and dog parks to reopen and food trucks to do business, with people still following the six-foot social distancing rule.

“We know people are antsy and we want them to have the ability to use recreation areas and participate in non-contact sports,” county Health Services Director Dr. Peter Beilenson said.

Dentist offices also can reopen for preventive care or chronic conditions, though county officials say dental employees are to wear masks and face shields or visors, as well as gloves and scrubs.

A spokeswoman for the California Dental Association noted on Wednesday that dentists are not being directed to go back to routine practice.

“Instead it lets the public know that they may begin to access essential health services,” Alicia Malaby said in an email to The Sacramento Bee. “Dentists are awaiting specific guidance from the California Department of Public Health, which is expected to be realized shortly. In the meantime, dentists continue to be available for dental care that is essential during this pandemic.”

Rules on real estate sales home visits and doctors visits also have been eased in the new county order.

The new order is set to go into effect at the end of the day Friday.

The existing order, issued three weeks ago, expires at that same time, Friday at midnight. The new order would mean that many Sacramento residents, like most Californians, will have been confined to homes and allowed only limited outdoor activities for more than two months.

The decision Wednesday comes just a day after neighboring El Dorado County announced it would let its stay-at-home directive expire, reflecting a widening chasm between California’s urban and rural areas on how to move forward as the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread across the state and country.

Health officials and experts say that confinement and social distancing remains important to stop the spread of infections.

“While there has been some relaxation of rules as they relate to recreational activities, it is absolutely vital that we continue to maintain social distancing,” Beilenson. said.

“The intent of the order is to ensure that the maximum number of people stay home as much as possible while enabling essential services to continue, and that has been a significant factor in reducing the spread of COVID-19 in Sacramento County.”

Beilenson said the new order, which expires at 11:59 p.m. on May 22, could be extended, rescinded, superseded or amended prior to that date depending on circumstances.

Beilenson and county Public Health Officer Dr. Olivia Kasirye said overall infection numbers and hospital case numbers have trended well for several weeks, and that the county has fared far better than forecasts from six weeks ago.

“We will continue to look at the health data and the availability of testing, and those factors will inform our decisions about modifying the Public Health Order in the future,” Beilenson said.

Among other changes to the order:

▪ Patients now will be allowed to visit dentist offices for “preventive services” and treatment of chronic problems

▪ Boating ramps, shooting and archery ranges and other activities that involve shared equipment can open. That includes disc golf. Users must sanitize.

▪ However, children’s playgrounds remain closed for now.

▪ Basketball, soccer and football remain prohibited.

▪ Healthcare providers can now schedule elective procedures, as well as preventive services such as immunizations and other care for chronic conditions.

For the second time, county officials have eased restrictions on home sales. Previously, real estate agents only were allowed to show homes that had been vacated by owners.

The amended order says: “Residential viewings for rentals, leases and home sales are now allowable when the occupant is still residing in the residence. The requirement is still in place that the visit must be by appointment with no more than two visitors at a time residing within the same household or living unit and one individual showing the unit.”

Sacramento’s order mirrors Gov. Gavin Newsom’s statewide order, which mandated closure of businesses and activities deemed “non-essential” to continuation of the civic life.

Newsom said he is likely to begin progressively easing the statewide order at some point in the coming weeks. As he does that, Sacramento County officials say they likely will ease their own order similarly. They said they believe if there are differences between the state and local orders at some point, the tougher restrictions should be the ones that county residents follow.

That situation though is at times confusing. Sacramento recently allowed golfing to continue, with a variety of safety precautions, at a time when the governor’s order did not address golfing. Newsom’s state orders now allow for golfing.

Newsom has faced mounting pressured in the last week from municipalities along California’s coast and mountainous reaches to lift restrictions. Data show that many rural counties have not been hit nearly as hard with coronavirus infections and deaths as some urban areas of the state, notably Los Angeles, Santa Clara and San Mateo counties.

A Bee analysis this week found that infection and death rates in Sacramento County, per 100,000 residents, also are considerably lower than the state average.

As of Wednesday morning, Sacramento County had 1,068 confirmed coronavirus cases, a number that has continued to climb in recent days, but at a slower rate than in previous weeks. The number of deaths in the county, 42, also has plateaued in recent days.

More notably, the number of serious virus cases being treated in local hospitals has remained low and relatively steady. Only 53 people are currently being treated in hospitals for the virus, 20 of them in intensive care units.

County hospitals have an estimated 600 beds available to treat virus patients.

Yolo County, meanwhile, said late Wednesday it would be extending its shelter-in-place order through May 31, but said it would formally announce the extension and its details on Thursday.

This story was originally published April 29, 2020 at 1:55 PM.