Solano County 'Reopening Roadmap': Some Businesses May Reopen
SOLANO COUNTY, CA — Under a roadmap for reopening that follows the concepts of the state of California's Resiliency Roadmap, some Solano County businesses may begin to reopen Friday, county officials announced Thursday evening. The roadmap puts businesses into three categories: low-risk, medium-risk and high-risk. Some of the low-risk businesses may begin reopening Friday, subject to specific social distancing practices.
County officials refuted a FOX 40 News report and purported comments by a Fairfield city council member indicating that dine-in restaurants would be able to reopen Monday in Solano County.
"The County Public Health Officer has not indicated restaurants can or will open on Monday," county officials said in a news release. "The question Ms. Moy asked during a call with elected officials in Solano County was 'when could or would restaurants be able to open.' The response was restaurants are in the medium-risk businesses category, meaning there is greater risk of spread of the disease in dine-in settings, and that the medium-risk category criteria is still being developed and would be shared with the Board and potentially could take affect later in the week."
The Solano County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to meet at 9 a.m. Tuesday, at which time the strategy for minimizing risk and the timeline for reopening of medium-risk businesses are still being reviewed and will be discussed further, county officials said.
Businesses and activities under the medium-risk category, including hair and nail salons, dine-in restaurants, massage therapy, among others, cannot reopen until they meet specific criteria that are still being devleoped by the state and county.
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"The Solano roadmap draws its concepts from the state and epidemiological analysis, and looks at risk of transmission and ability to reduce or minimize the risk as a key factor in business activities and the ability to reopen," county officials said. "The level of risk in an activity and the potential impact to the health and wellbeing of Solano County residents is essential in the success of the roadmap being able to help reopen businesses without increasing the public health risk of COVID19 exposures. The roadmap envisions phases much like the state plan."
Under the county's roadmap, low-risk businesses, workplaces, organizations and public areas that may begin reopening Friday in Solano County subject to specific social distancing practices include: retail establishments, manufacturing, pet grooming, florists, offices and city/county local parks with the exception of playgrounds, campgrounds and beaches.
Meanwhile, the county's orders requiring community members to practice social distancing and to stay home except for essential reasons — to work in an essential role or business, get supplies, care for a loved one, seek medical care, engage in outdoor exercise — remain in effect.
"Residents have done a great job staying at home and when out in the community practicing social distancing in Solano County," said Dr. Bela Matyas, Solano County public health officer. "People’s individual efforts have saved lives, enabled our hospitals to prepare to handle a surge of ill patients, and curbed the spread of coronavirus. As we move toward recovery and the opportunity to reopen businesses safely, in phases based on our county’s risk management best practices, it is crucial for community members to adhere to the public health guidelines and social distancing and to shelter at home if you are an at-risk individual."
All businesses, including those currently operating as essential businesses, are required to develop and post a social distancing protocol describing how they function to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 transmission.
"Changes to lifting this order place a lot of responsibility on business owners, their staff and residents to make good decisions," Matyas says. "We urge residents to respect the rules established by businesses and facilities so that they can provide services safely and be mindful of their community members’ health by practicing social distancing as much as possible and wearing facial coverings where six-feet distance cannot be maintained.
"We have worked for the past few weeks with our business, healthcare and public safety partners as well as with elected officials to develop a plan to allow low-risk activities and businesses in the County to resume and reopen. In doing so, we were careful to adhere to the State’s Phase 2 considerations. However, the Governor’s announcement today [Thursday] limiting reopening to only some of the State’s Phase 2 businesses means that a somewhat wider scope of activities will resume in Solano."
Solano County businesses and activities under the high-risk category, including amusement parks, festivals and playgrounds, are to remain closed for the time being.
Solano County Public Health says it will continue to monitor COVID-19 data and announce when high-risk activities may take place, depending on the incidence of COVID-19 in the community, hospital capacity and other health related indicators.
Guidance For High-Risk Individuals
The total number of coronavirus cases in the county was 342 as of Thursday afternoon, with 11 people currently hospitalized for the virus and 59 hospitalized since the outbreak began in mid-March.
Seven county residents have died, with at least two of the deaths occurring at the Windsor Vallejo Care Center where 99 residents and health care workers tested positive for the virus.
Number of coronavirus cases by city/community as of Thursday afternoon:
Benicia: 16
Dixon: fewer than 10
Fairfield: 63
Rio Vista: fewer than 10
Suisun City: 16
Vacaville: 36
Vallejo: 195
Unincorporated county areas: fewer than 10
As Solano County begins to reopen, officials say it is important to continue to protect those at high-risk of contracting severe COVID-19 illness, including people 65 or older, those with compromised immune systems and people with certain underlying health conditions, particularly, heart disease, lung disease or diabetes. The county says these residents should continue to self-isolate at home and practice the following recommendations:
Avoid crowds, mass gatherings, large events, public transit, and stay home as much as possible
Clean and disinfect your home; practice routine cleaning of frequently touched surfaces
Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or a sleeve
Review and update your personal emergency plan
Complete information about the county's Roadmap to Recovery, amended Stay-at-Home health order, social distancing protocol and frequently asked questions about reopening is posted at SolanoCounty.com/COVID19.
Full coronavirus coverage: Coronavirus In California: What To Know
This article originally appeared on the Benicia Patch
