- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
Public Health officer issues new order to align Lake County reopening with state protocols
On Thursday, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued new orders that direct the state’s “Stage 2” response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Gary Pace said Friday that he issued a new order to align with Newsom’s action.
Pace said that, at the same time, the shelter in place order remains in effect. Previously, Lake County’s order extended through May 17, but Pace’s latest order aligns with the state’s, which has no specific end date.
Lake County’s new health order removes previous discrepancies between state and local orders and makes clarifications specific to Lake County, which Pace said include exemptions for people staying in hotels.
At the same time, because Pace said all confirmed infections in both Lake and Mendocino counties have originated from out-of-county contact with known positive cases, local hotels and vacation rentals will remain closed for nonessential stays.
Newsom’s Stage 2 allows some “low-risk” retail businesses to reopen with phone and online sales and curbside pickup, with the logistics and manufacturing sectors also allowed to resume, along with office-based businesses, personal services such as car washes, pet grooming, tanning facilities and landscape gardening, dine-in restaurants, and outdoor museums and open gallery spaces.
According to the state guidelines, those businesses and establishments must qualify to reopen upon certification that the county meets the California Department of Public Health’s criteria and implement the relevant industry guidelines.
Sector-specific guidance for businesses from the California Department of Public Health and the Department of Industrial Relations’ Cal/OSHA Division is available here.
In Lake County’s case, Pace said restaurants will remain closed for the time being, except for take-out.
Pace said that with the movement toward reopening now happening more rapidly, businesses should not wait to undertake planning efforts.
Resources for business owners, including a reopening plan template, social distancing protocols and business certification forms, are available at the county’s website.
As sectors are authorized to resume business activities, Pace said all reopening businesses must post the social distancing protocol checklist and business certification document provided by the county in a visible location near the entrance to all facilities.
He said there is an opportunity to open local businesses more quickly than the governor’s orders, and plans are being developed to facilitate that. Those proposals will be discussed at the Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday.
Since his last shelter in place order modifications, which included allowing people to fish and use nonmotorized boats on the lake, Pace said there has not been a rise in COVID-19 cases, so the county is going forward with opening the lake and other local waterways this weekend to local residents, consistent with state orders.
Pace said boat ramps will be open and quagga mussel program monitors will be in place.
He continued to urge people to follow social distancing practices, wear masks in public and practice good hygiene, and discouraged out-of-area residents from visiting Lake County yet.
Pace also said that people over the age of 65, or those who are otherwise vulnerable to severe complications of COVID-19 infection, need to continue to take precautions.
For more information, or if businesses want Public Health to review their reopening plan reviewed, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
This article has been clarified regarding the county shelter in place order aligning with the state’s.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
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