Some schools, businesses to be cleared to reopen
OAKLAND >> Alameda County’ s health department announced Thursday that some of the county’ s schools would be able to begin reopening as early as the middle of this month, one of a new round of business and educational reopenings set to continue through the fall.
T he moves, approved Wednesday by the county’s Public Health Department as updates to health officer orders, come just over a week after the county’s move into the “red” tier of the state’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy plan.
As of October 13, elementary schools may open for in-person learning, according to the announcement, once district officials complete a COVID-19 health and safety reopening plan, file it with the county’s Office of Education and notify the county’s Health Care Services Agency, linking to their plan on a public Web site.
The county may consider middle- and highschool in- person classes after four- to twelve-week phases, depending on ongoing COVID-19 assessments. “This phased approach will allow us to gauge the impact of elementary school re- opening on transmission,” the statement said in part.
As of October 9, hotels and other tourist lodging may open, so long as fitness centers or pools are restricted, while museums, libraries and zoos and aquariums may welcome visitors at 25 percent capacity, according to the announcement.
Personal care facilities may also reopen, so long as their activities do not require ma sk removal, while g yms and fitness centers may open their doors at 10 percent capacity, limiting aerobic exercises and classes, and outdoor film production may resume, officials said.
Local officials are still weighing inclusion of additional state- approved activities, but noted that outdoor activ ities pose less disease- transmission risk than indoor ones, and urge businesses to serve customers outdoors if possible, and added that risks of indoor dining still include household mixtures, limited social- distancing and mask use while eating and drinking, and server and dining- staff exposure.