NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Nearly 20 California counties have been cleared to move into an accelerated process for reopening from the closures forced under the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Friday California officially moved into Stage 2 of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s roadmap to modify the statewide stay-at-home order.
State officials are allowing counties to apply for variances to move more quickly through the process as long as they can attest to a number of requirements, including having no new cases and deaths to testing and hospital capacity, being able to protect essential workers, and the ability to shelter a portion of the homeless population.
On Tuesday, Lake County Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace said he intended to bring his plans for a variance to the Board of Supervisors at its meeting next week in order to submit the plan to the state, as Lake County News has reported.
The California Department of Public Health reported on Tuesday that variances for Butte and El Dorado counties were approved.
By Wednesday night, CDPH said 16 more counties had their variances approved.
Those counties are Amador, Calaveras, Colusa, Glenn, Lassen, Mariposa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, San Benito, Shasta, Sierra, Tehama, Tuolumne and Yuba-Sutter.
CDPH said the counties have attested that they meet the criteria necessary to move further into Stage 2.
That allows them to reopen various parts of the economy with modifications implemented to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
State officials said the goal is to reopen California in a way that minimizes the risk for transmitting COVID-19 to the extent possible.
That goal includes limiting nonessential movement and mixing of populations, especially within jurisdictions with higher confirmed cases, and delaying the opening of environments in which there is prolonged and close contact as part of the way business must operate.
Statewide guidance for these sectors is available here.
CDPH said its website will continue to be updated in real-time when attestation forms for additional counties are approved.
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State announces additional counties moving deeper into Stage 2 recovery; Lake yet to apply for variance
- Elizabeth Larson
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