Best path to reopening: Follow rules

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s new coronavirus crisis orders are frustrating, but — sadly — necessary.

Marin is an integral part of the Bay Area, where cases of COVID-19 are rising, along with grave concerns that demand on local hospitals will skyrocket, as will the risk of deaths.

This latest rise comes after the county and state began to relax its March lockdown restrictions, allowing for indoor dining and small gatherings, as well as the reopening of retail stores and some school classrooms.

These restrictions have been tightened and relaxed over the past seven months — causing a rollercoaster effect that has taken a toll on families, businesses, workers and public services. For many businesses and their workers, having to close or curtail their operations during the holidays — when often they historically expect to generate their most sales — could be too much from which to recover.

The short- and long-term costs of opening, partial- opening and closing of these businesses, amid often confusing state and local regulations, are clear.

The economic crisis is compounded by the thousands left unemployed or having to endure with a reduced income. Many were customers of local businesses. In some cases, unpaid bills and rents have accumulated, causing hardships across the economy.

County and state public health officers have tried to allow a gradual “reopening,” but to do so at a time when COVID-19 infections are rising doesn’t make sense when restrictions have proven effective in terms of reducing the pressure on hospitals and the risk of fatalities, especially among our older population.

Coronavirus infections have contributed to the deaths of more than 100 Marin residents. That the virus is on the rise again cannot be ignored.

Our county has been under “substantial” and “widespread” transmission warning levels for much of the lockdown period. Earlier this week, Marin infection numbers hit the level that triggered the state’s tougher lockdown rules.

Marin’s proximity to metropolitan centers of the Bay Area cannot be ignored as a contributing factor. We do not live in a bubble of immunity.

We cannot let our guard down, whether that is involving unnecessary holiday travel, becoming less vigilant in wearing masks or gathering rather than practicing social distancing.

We cannot ignore public health measures meant to not only protect ourselves, but prevent the spread of the disease.

We may feel healthy now, but that doesn’t mean that there is less of a risk of contracting the virus or, unknowingly, spreading it to others.

Newsom, at one time a Bay Area businessman, knows full well the toll the restrictions are taking on the economy. He can see it in the numbers; the number of unemployed, the decline in sales tax and the number of tax-generating businesses that are closing their doors.

The state orders, of course, are also frustrating in that they come at the same time of hopeful news that vaccines may become available in the coming months. How widespread the administration of those vaccines is should determine their effectiveness in diminishing the threat of the disease’s spread and the potential risk of life.

Statewide, the death toll recently passed 20,000.

The effort to slow these statistics takes the cooperation of everyone — young and old — curtailing the risk of contracting the disease and spreading it.

Some people prefer not to believe the science. Some think that because they have not felt sick, they cannot contract the virus or spread it to others. The real-life statistics that have proven that widespread practice of precautions — including stricter lockdown orders — have reduced the risk.

We are all anxious to get back to normal.

These are measures we need to take to get there. We have seen them make a difference.