Newsom lays out guidelines for the reopening of schools

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that schools in California can begin inperson learning this fall if the county the school is located in has not been on the state’s COVID-19 monitoring list for 14 consecutive days.

That currently wouldn’t be the case for Yuba-sutter.

During a briefing on Friday, Newsom laid out what schools and districts must do when they do meet the primary stipulation. Staff and students must wear masks and staff must maintain six feet distance between themselves and other staff and students. All students in third grade and older must wear masks and students in second grade or younger will be encouraged to wear masks or face shields. Schools are directed to conduct symptom checks every morning, provide hand washing stations and maintain sanitation

and disinfection protocols. Staff will be required to be tested regularly and the state will have contact tracers who will prioritize schools.

Finally, Newsom said the expectation is for schools that are unable to reopen to begin the school year to provide rigorous distance learning that is equivalent to in-person instruction.

Newsom said the state has invested $5.3 billion to make sure students with special needs have access to the resources needed to learn from home.

The governor also addressed when schools and districts must close if an outbreak takes place: A classroom cohort that has a confirmed case should be sent home; A school should close when multiple cohorts have confirmed cases or when 5 percent of the school has tested positive; Districts should close if 25 percent of their schools are closed in a 14-day period. All of the decisions should be done in consultation with a local public health officer.

Newsom concluded his briefing by displaying a list of the 32 counties on the state’s COVID-19 monitoring list. Yuba, Sutter, Colusa, and Glenn counties were all on the list.

Friday marked the end of the first work week since the new local public health order went into effect, closing indoor business.

“Driving around on Monday I saw quite a few restaurants outside putting up tents for outdoor dining,” Yuba County public information officer Rachel Rosenbaum said in an email. “The Yuba-sutter Chamber of Commerce has been sharing a lot of photos on their Facebook page showing the different businesses in their new operations.

On Friday, 37 cases were confirmed in the bi-county region, bringing the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases to 744.

Hospitalizations increased by two and 12 recovered. As of late Friday, Sutter County has accounted for 492 cases. There have been 252 cases in Yuba County.

“We are cautiously optimistic that the daily case counts have decreased slightly, but it is too early to tell if this will be a trend or not,” Bi-county Health Officer Dr. Phuong Luu said. “The tenets of avoiding gatherings with nonhousehold members is key. That is anyone you do not live with, including other family members.”

To access the online dashboard that updates the local COVID-19 related numbers, visit bepreparedyuba.org or bepreparedsutter.org.