SANTA CLARA, Calif.—Although the statewide stay-at-home order is still in place in California, some counties are loosening restrictions, and local government leaders are taking steps to reopen their counties.
Yolo County’s ‘Roadmap to Recovery’
Yolo County announced a “Roadmap to Recovery” strategy that drafts a way to navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic.As of now, certain recreational activities assessed to be low risk, such as golfing, fishing, and hunting, have resumed. People are required to wear face coverings when they are outside their residences.
According to Yolo County public information officer Jenny Tan, they will be looking at some indicators and healthcare data to help make further decisions.
“As long as we can kind of keep the spread low, and kind of look at certain activities and if they’re considered low risk, then we’re going to try and open them up,” Tan told The Epoch Times. “We know that our residents are getting a little antsy, and so we’re trying to do what we can while also balancing the public risk and public health at the same time.”
Golf courses, hunting clubs, archery, boat ramps, and fishing are open, and people are strongly encouraged to use facial coverings in public spaces.
“It’s this fluid kind of relationship, because we’re looking at our own county, but we’re also looking to make sure that we fit with what the state is doing,” said Tan. “We kind of wanted to get this going, let people know that we are thinking about it, and that this is a draft.”
Stanislaus County Mayors Sign Letter to Governor
Seven mayors in Stanislaus County signed a letter to the governor on April 20 requesting to loosen restrictions.“We are requesting that you pursue an aggressive strategy for reopening our County for business. One size does not fit all. A reopening process that may fit, and make sense, for the Los Angeles and our neighboring Bay Area regions does not work for our County,” stated the letter.
It also provided examples of businesses and organizations that can reopen with social distancing and limit gathering to 50 people.
Placerville’s Authorized Letter to the Governor
On April 21, the City of Placerville in El Dorado County announced its plans to reopen the city. The City Manager was authorized to send a letter to Governor Gavin Newsom explaining the city’s circumstances.The city and El Dorado County have much lower numbers of cases of COVID-19 compared to densely populated areas. They reason that the standards to reopen the state should be flexible, since there are geographical and situational differences among California counties and cities.
Leaders are working with public health officials and trying to balance safety and economic recovery.
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