Virus restrictions eased for 5 California counties
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — After months with little change, five of California’s 58 counties advanced to having fewer business restrictions Tuesday as the state’s worst coronavirus surge continued to ease, with eight more counties likely to move next week and “even more still” in two weeks, Gov. Gavin Newsom said.
“I’m talking about bright light at the end of this tunnel,” Newsom said.
The five include Marin County just north of San Francisco and San Mateo County just to the south, with San Francisco and nearby Napa and Santa Clara counties among those likely to see an easing next week based on state data.
However, San Francisco Bay Area health officials have been very cautious about lifting restrictions even when they were allowed to under the state’s four-stage, color-coded plan for reopening the economy.
The others are largely rural Humboldt and Shasta counties in the state’s far north, and agricultural Yolo County northwest of Sacramento. The change allows restaurants to reopen for limited indoor dining starting Wednesday, while fitness centers, movie theaters and museums are among the businesses that can reopen indoors with safeguards including mandatory face coverings and capacity limits.
The Democratic governor is under intense political pressure to restart the economy.
Newsom signed a $7.6 billion coronavirus relief package on Tuesday that will give at least $600 one-time payments to 5.7 million people while setting aside more than $2 billion in grants for struggling small businesses.
“The backbone of our economy is small business. We recognize the stress, the strain that so many small business have been under,” Newsom said.