LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The latest guidance from state health officials to local jurisdictions has laid out the next steps in reopening more business sectors in California.
On Tuesday morning, in a letter to public health officials and government leaders, State Public Health Officer Sonia Angell reported that reopening of additional sectors will employ a two-step process.
“A variance county can elect to open a given sector so long as (1) the State has issued guidance for how a given sector can reopen and (2) the local health officer has provided approval for that sector to open in that locality. If the state has not yet released guidance for a sector, then that sector cannot yet be opened,” Angell said.
Lake County’s local variance attestation went into effect Wednesday, May 20, so Lake County is a “variance county” for the purposes of the state’s latest guidance.
Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace said Lake County is now in the early phase of Stage 3 of the Governor’s Resilience Roadmap.
When the state provides further guidance for a sector of the business community, Pace will determine if the health situation in Lake County is stable enough to allow relaxation of the restrictions.
As Dr. Angell stated, short guidance from the state, local jurisdictions cannot reopen business sectors.
State officials previously expressed optimism that guidelines for reopening gyms and fitness centers would be issued as soon as Monday. However, in Angell’s Tuesday morning letter, no timeline for release of guidance on additional sectors was provided.
As of the latest guidance, the following sectors are closed statewide:
· Bars and nightclubs.
· Entertainment venues.
· Gyms and fitness studios.
· Public events and gatherings.
· Convention centers.
· Nail salons.
Additionally, officials said nonessential travel remains prohibited.
Traditional lodging operations, such as hotels, and non-traditional lodging facilities, such as vacation rentals facilitated by websites like Airbnb, should only be employed to serve front-line medical personnel, isolate those with COVID-19 or associated risk factors, and for other allowable purposes.
In Lake County, lodging must be approved by the Health Services Department, and requests can be routed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 707-263-8174.
Lake County has permitted reopening of hair salons and barbershops, ahead of some other California counties, and indoor dining at local restaurants is anticipated to resume this Thursday, June 4.
More information on which sectors are open or closed statewide and can be found here.
Sector-specific reopening guidance can be found here.
For more information, contact the Lake County Health Services staff at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 707-263-8174.
Officials report on next phases of reopening process
- Lake County News reports
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