SLO County bars and gyms may be able to open this week, health officials say
Bars, gyms and a wide range of other venues can begin reopening in California starting this week under new state guidance announced Friday.
Counties will decide how far to go under the state guidelines based on local conditions such as coronavirus infection rates and ability to track COVID-19 cases, Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said.
San Luis Obispo County Public Health Officer Dr. Penny Borenstein said at a Friday news briefing that she would review the guidelines over the weekend to ensure they are in line with what the county’s COVID-19 data shows.
“With the situation we are in in our county, we are going to be able to move forward in a number of sectors in a very near term,” Borenstein said at the briefing.
The state is not encouraging counties to reopen those businesses and is simply providing guidance for them to do so, Ghaly said. Counties should expand their reopening plans only if a local health official says they can do so safely.
“The expectation is in the state and in this county as well, is that we continue ongoing to look at our metrics and that will guide our every decision as to how far and how wide we can open for business,” Borenstein said.
As of Friday, San Luis Obispo County has had 291 cases of COVID-19, with 262 patients who have already recovered. The county will no longer be updating the case count over the weekend and will report those diagnosed Saturday and Sunday on Monday.
Borenstein said she anticipates the county will be able to move forward in the reopening plan because of the county’s relatively low case count and a continually low number of new cases per day.
“My expectation is we will move forward as expeditiously as we can in all of these additional sectors,” Borenstein said. “But I don’t want folks to think that as soon as the guidance is posted on the state website that you (can) open your door in the next five minutes.”
Prior to reopening, businesses must meet the state’s industry-specific guidelines which will be posted on the California Department of Public Health’s website, as well as ReadySLO.org.
The state is also announcing new guidance for schools for the upcoming academic year with the intent that schools will need a lot of time to make changes to prevent spread of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, Ghaly said.
The state announced Friday that day camps can reopen starting today with social distancing modifications and increased sanitation. The state also announced reopening guidance for casinos operated by sovereign tribal nations.
Professional sports without live audiences and film sets will be allowed to reopen statewide starting June 12.
California counties that have secured approval to reopen faster than the rest of the state could begin reopening the following venues and businesses as soon as June 12:
▪ Bars and wineries
▪ Fitness facilities
▪ Museums, galleries, zoos and aquariums
▪ Campgrounds (Lopez Lake, Santa Margarita Lake, and Oceano Memorial Park campgrounds have been open to locals only.)
▪ Hotels (San Luis Obispo County allowed hotels to reopen at 100% occupancy Friday, lifting a 50% occupancy order.)
▪ Cardrooms and racetracks
▪ Family entertainment centers
People should continue taking precautions to avoid spreading the coronavirus as the economy continues to reopen, California Department of Public Health Director Dr. Sonia Angell said.
“Just because some businesses are opening doesn’t mean your risk for COVID-19 is gone,” Angell said in a statement. “We all need to continue to keep physical distancing, wash our hands and wear face coverings in public.”
As part of its efforts to combat the coronavirus, the state will provide schools and child care facilities hand sanitizer, no-touch thermometers, face shields for teachers and childcare providers, cloth face masks for staff and students and more protective N95 masks for school-based health professionals like school nurses, according to a draft of the guidance.
This story was originally published June 7, 2020 at 1:20 PM.
