The coming week could see the re-opening of more businesses in Stanislaus County, including bars, gyms, hotels and family entertainment centers.
The California Department of Public Health announced Friday that they have released re-opening guidance for 12 additional sectors that have been closed since the statewide stay-at-home-order issued because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The guidance provides sectors with information on public health modifications they should implement prior to opening.
"Just because some businesses are opening doesn't mean your risk for COVID-19 is gone. We all need to continue to keep physical distancing, wash our hands and wear face coverings in public," said Dr. Sonia Angell, State Public Health Officer and Director of the California Department of Public Health. "As we continue to release guidance on how different sections can reopen with modifications, it is important to remember guidance doesn't mean 'go.' Your local health officer will make the final decision about which sectors will open, guided by data specific to your community."
Stanislaus County leadership will review the guidance and make decisions on moving forward based on local data, including positive cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 population; rate of test positivity; and ppreparedness to support healthcare surge, vulnerable populations, contact tracing, surge and testing.
Directions on how and when these will be implemented in Stanislaus County will be announced on Monday.
“As we continue to expand reopening of businesses and activities, we remind everyone to continue to practice social distancing of at least six feet away from all non-household members,” said Dr. Julie Vaishampayan, Stanislaus County Public Health Officer. “As this disease can spread days before a person becomes symptomatic, wearing a face covering is essential while out in public.”
The 12 sectors under consideration for reopening next week include: Family entertainment centers, restaurants, wineries and bars, zoos and museums, gyms and fitness centers, hotels for tourism and individual travel, cardrooms and racetracks, campgrounds and outdoor recreation.
The following sectors, businesses, establishments or activities are not permitted to operate in the State of California at this time: Personal services such as nail salons, tattoo parlors, body waxing, indoor playgrounds such as bounce centers, ball pits and laser tag, movie theaters and live theater, saunas and steam rooms, nightclubs, concert venues, festivals, theme parks and higher education.
The CDPH unveiled a county data monitoring system to give Californians insight into how their county is performing and provide early indicators of developing areas of concern.
The data for Stanislaus County shows the county has had 204 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 14 days for a total rate of 36.3 cases per 100,000. Stanislaus County has had 840 total cases, with 170 currently presumed active and 31 deaths. In the last 24 hours there have been 24 new cases, according to the Stanislaus County Health Services Agency.
The CDPH data shows Stanislaus County has 292,596 N-95 respirators, 202,000 procedure masks, 50,850 gowns, 40,400 face shields, and 277,000 pairs of gloves.
Contact transmission is responsible for 67.98 percent of the cases in Stanislaus County. Community transmission has grown slightly to 29.64 percent and travel accounts for 2.38 percent of the cases.
As local businesses continue to reopen, residents should consider the following before participating in activities outside of their households:
• How close would one be to someone who’s not a part of their household? Risks of contracting the disease increases by proximity.
• How long will I be in close contact with someone? The risk increases by the amount of time spent near someone.
• What are mine and my households personal risk factors should I become ill?
• What other steps can I take to reduce my risk, such as wearing a face covering?
SCHSA recommends that those who are at higher risk of contracting the disease, to avoid engaging in these activities and stay home. Following all recommendations are critical in informing phases of reopening. Stanislaus County Public Health will continue to coordinate with local hospitals and healthcare providers to ensure that this reopening does not negatively impact healthcare in Stanislaus County.
The OptumServe COVID-19 testing facility in Keyes will be relocating to West Modesto on Monday. The new site will be located at the Neighborhood Center at Marshall Park, 420 Chicago Avenue, Ste A, in Modesto. The testing service is provided by the State of California Testing Task Force in conjunction with OptumServe.
The guidance for the new sectors is available here: https://covid19.ca.gov/roadmap-counties/#track-data
