An additional two counties in California are reopening their local economies despite Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s statewide stay-at-home order.
Modoc County in California announced last week that all businesses and churches might reopen, but people must keep a 6-foot distance from each other. Yuba and Sutter counties are now joining Modoc in reopening despite Newsom’s stay-at-home order that is still in effect.
“We cannot wait for a vaccine without seeing extreme economic damage done to our community. The consequences of waiting will be additional health concerns brought on by stress and the very real dilemma for those with limited resources whether to buy life-saving food or life-saving medicines,” Yuba-Sutter County health officer Dr. Phuong Luu said Friday.
Starting Monday, the order will allow businesses, including restaurants, shopping malls, and gyms, to reopen with restrictions on the number of people in a store and to keep customers 6 feet apart.
“The new local order places a lot of responsibility on the citizens and business owners of Yuba and Sutter counties to make good decisions,” Luu said. “Please don’t take the change of rules in the new order as a signal we are out of the woods and to act irresponsibly.”
Other counties in the state are pushing for local economies to reopen, including in San Luis Obispo, where officials are making moves to ease restrictions.
“This is not like flicking on a light switch, it’s more like operating a dimmer,” San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Bruce Gibson said last week. “We’re going to bring it up and see if it works, and we do have mechanisms to go back to a certain level of restriction.”
Newsom has responded to the announcements with hesitation as California is “not out of the woods” with the coronavirus.
“Nothing would please me more than pleasing those local officials,” Newsom said. “But we’re not out of the woods. No part of the state, no part of this country, few parts of the globe have been immune to this virus.”
