After seven weeks of sheltering in place, California is finally beginning to reopen. Today marks the day that the Golden State will begin easing restrictions on “nonessential” businesses, entering into the second phase of the reopening plan laid out in late April.
New guidelines allowing for the return of retail, manufacturing, and other low-risk businesses have been released, which outline the safety precautions that businesses must implement. The framework developed includes a checklist of necessary actions related to employee health, safe worksite entry, workplace distancing and conditions, employee training and compliance, and enhanced cleaning and sanitation. These were recommended by the RECOVER Advisory Group, which will be working closely with the Board of Supervisors moving forward to add onto existing plans for reopening.
Governor Newsom has finally relented a bit and agreed to delegate slightly more authority to local governments to make decisions for their cities. However, he expects local governments to take the necessary precautions, or risk state intervention.
“To the extent that we start to see community spread, that we start to see that the certification and the commitments they made at the local level aren’t manifesting and they weren’t able to hold up…then the state can once again intervene,” said Newsom.
Central to this reopening strategy is the preparation of our healthcare services. Stabilizing COVID-19 hospitalization rates, improved testing capacity, and our inventory of personal protective equipment have all demonstrated that we’re ready to take these next steps. In addition to those factors, an “army” of 20,000 state employees will be tracing and tracking the spread of the virus.
After struggling to make ends meet over the past few weeks, these changes come as a huge relief to Californians. The unanimous vote from the Board of Supervisors demonstrates our hope of moving forward.
