San Andreas, CA…On Friday, May 8, 2020, the Calaveras County Health Officer rescinded the Local Public Health Order and Emergency Regulations. This latest move results from Governor Gavin Newsom’s May 7, 2020 announcement that the State will be entering Stage 2 of the re-opening plan beginning on May 8, 2020. Stage 2 authorizes some low risk business activities as long as they comply with the state-mandated conditions. “Low-risk” businesses such as clothing stores, florists, bookstores, sporting goods retailers, etc. will be allowed to re-open for curbside pick-up only starting today. These businesses will need to operate under specific adaptations to allow for increased social distancing, safeguards for their employees, and increased sanitation. While the Health Officer Order is rescinded and certain businesses are allowed to reopen in a modified way, the Stay-At-Home Order by the State of California will remain in place.

Yesterday, Governor Newsom announced that beginning this Friday May 8, 2020, the State of California will begin putting into place a process to allow for a gradual move into Stage Two of California’s Pandemic Roadmap. This 4-phase roadmap to removing the current stay-at-home restrictions and re-opening the economy begins at
• Stage 1 – the lock-down which we are in now, moving into
• Stage 2 – low-risk retail businesses and their associated manufacturing and logistical support businesses and services,
• Stage 3 – higher-risk types of businesses such as fitness clubs, spas, nail salons, hair salons and barbershops that require much more personal contact will be able to reopen, and
• Finally Stage 4 – Mass crowd events like conventions, concerts and sporting events won’t come until a later date, and it won’t be soon, under the state plan. Don’t expect them until there is a vaccine or widespread immunity.

The Governor also announced yesterday that while the state is moving into Stage 2 together, counties can move more quickly through Stage 2, if they attest that they meet the state’s readiness criteria. Counties must create and submit a readiness plan which the state will make publicly available.
This readiness will be evaluated through a County self-assessment process taking into consideration the following Readiness Parameters:
1) Epidemiology – COVID-19 prevalence must be less than 1 case/10,000population in the past 14 days with no deaths;
2) Testing capacity – 1.5/1000 residents daily test volume,
3) Ability to ensure the safety of the critical infrastructure workforce,
4) Containment capacity defined in terms of sufficient contact tracing capability on the part of the public health department to quickly identify, trace, and contain any new infections,
5) Hospital capacity – Ability of the local hospital to increase bed availability by 35% and have a detailed plan to protect the hospital workforce and patients, and
6) Ability to address vulnerable populations – examples are the availability of 2 weeks of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at the local nursing home in San Andreas, and ability to shelter 15% of the county’s homeless residents.

Calaveras is well positioned to move more quickly through Stage 2. State permission to advance more quickly than other regions will remain contingent on Calaveras maintaining these gains.

“The people of Calaveras County have been doing their part which has slowed the spread of COVID-19,” said Dr. Dean Kelaita, Calaveras County Health Officer. “We are taking the first steps towards reopening Calaveras County.”

Calaveras public health advises the public to continue to do their part. “If we see COVID-19 cases start to spread through our community this means that strict efforts will be needed again to contain the virus. A resurgence of disease activity in the county will undo everything we have built to protect the health of our community,” said Dr. Kelaita.

Calaveras Public Health released a Roadmap to Recovery on our COVID-19 website, which outlines the stages for reopening the county that is consistent with the Governor’s Stay-at-Home Order. This provides a course of action for reopening Calaveras County as safely as possible.

For more information about Calaveras County’s Roadmap to Recovery, visit https://covid19.calaverasgov.us/. Call the Community Service Call Center at (209) 754-2896 if you have questions about the COVID-19 pandemic.