San Diego wants state officials to allow speedier reopening
SAN DIEGO (AP) — With encouraging results in the fight against the coronavirus, San Diego County supervisors voted Tuesday to ask the state to allow California’s second-most populous county to be a test case for more rapidly reopening businesses and allowing more gatherings and recreational options.
The plan would let the county jump ahead to stage three in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s fourstage plan and reopen such things as apartment building swimming pools along with gyms and hair and nail salons, all with strict safety rules. It also would green-light outdoor religious services with restrictions and bring back youth sports but without games or spectators.
As San Diego looks to move more quickly, Los Angeles County officials plan to continue a more methodical approach. Officials there say it’s likely to take until July 4 before it can consider a broader reopening of businesses.
San Diego and Los Angeles are California’s two largest counties, and only about a two-hour drive apart, but have had different experiences curbing the virus. Los Angeles has three times San Diego County’s population of 3.3 million but nine times as many deaths — 1,913 to 211.
Early in the pandemic, San Diego won praise for taking in cruise ship passengers and U.S. citizens flown on government-commissioned planes from China while managing the spread of the virus among local residents. Authorities credit the county’s swift actions to close beaches and ramp up hospital capacity, along with having a population that has followed the rules on social distancing and other restrictions, as reasons to move more rapidly.
“We know what we need to do to be safe, so let’s go forward,” Supervisor Dianne Jacob said.
The vote came a day after Newsom, under increasing pressure to give local governments more latitude, relaxed health standards the state’s 58 counties are required to meet to move deeper into the second phase of reopening and welcome back diners in restaurants and customers to stores, with restrictions.
In making the changes, Newsom noted that COVID-19 hospitalizations statewide have declined, while testing and tracking infections have ramped up. He said if the trend continues the state could allow pro sports without spectators in early June.
Health officials said San Diego County meets the new criteria to go beyond the takeout and curbside retail service now allowed and supervisors approved submitting a request to be given that exception. Officials said restaurants could be serving diners as soon as Wednesday.
Sacramento County also was among larger counties that submitted a plan for reopening and health officials said they got approval Tuesday afternoon. In addition to restaurant dining and in-store shopping, the county will allow religious services and ceremonies such as graduations to be conducted via “drive through,” and also will allow the opening of small offices, child care, outdoor gyms and museums and full resumption of public transit.