San Bernardino County Waiting, for Now, to Expand Stage 2 Coronavirus Reopening – Redlands Daily Facts
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San Bernardino County waiting, for now, to expand Stage 2 coronavirus reopening – Redlands Daily Facts LOCAL NEWS • News San Bernardino County waiting, for now, to expand Stage 2 coronavirus reopening By SANDRA EMERSON | [email protected] | PUBLISHED: May 19, 2020 at 4:58 p.m. | UPDATED: May 19, 2020 at 10:37 p.m. While San Bernardino County supervisors are eager for restaurants and churches to resume operations after weeks of novel coronavirus-related closures and restrictions, they’re waiting to see how the county’s data pairs with new state guidelines on reopening various sectors. After a lively debate Tuesday, May 19, about the risks associated with reopening ahead of the state, the supervisors agreed to hear more from county staff before expanding the second of the state’s four-phase plan to reopen businesses. Supervisors agreed to meet at 4 p.m. Thursday, May 21, to further discuss the matter. “Our small businesses have sat and waited,” Supervisor Robert Lovingood said. “They’ve waited patiently as long as they can. They cannot suffer this economic suppression any longer.” Lovingood and Supervisor Dawn Rowe supported moving forward with the county’s recovery plan, which assesses the risk of the virus’ spread at businesses and offers guidelines for reopening safely. However, the item was not on the agenda, so the board agreed to schedule a special meeting. https://www.redlandsdailyfacts.com/2020/05/19/san-bernardino-county-waiting-for-now-to-expand-stage-2-coronavirus-reopening/[5/20/2020 8:18:00 AM] San Bernardino County waiting, for now, to expand Stage 2 coronavirus reopening – Redlands Daily Facts TOP ARTICLES 1/5 S A By .st0{fill:#FFFFFF;}.st1{fill:#0099FF;} M READ MORE Thousands evacuated as river dams break in central “This is a serious thing we have to do in the right way,” Chairman Curt Hagman said. The county sent two letters to the governor, one signed by 24 city mayors and a second signed by officials with Riverside, Orange and San Diego counties, asking for discretion in how and when to reopen businesses, rather than meeting the state’s criteria. On Monday, May 18, Gov. Gavin Newsom eliminated some of the controversial benchmarks counties were required to meet in order to move faster through the second phase of reopening, including no more than one case per 10,000 residents and no deaths for two weeks. Hagman expressed concern over the risk to businesses if the county allows them to reopen earlier than allowed by the state. He also pointed out the potential liability to the county if the state pulls businesses’ licenses for violating the state’s stay-at-home orders. https://www.redlandsdailyfacts.com/2020/05/19/san-bernardino-county-waiting-for-now-to-expand-stage-2-coronavirus-reopening/[5/20/2020 8:18:00 AM] San Bernardino County waiting, for now, to expand Stage 2 coronavirus reopening – Redlands Daily Facts The state has threatened to pull funding from counties who move forward too soon. Supervisor Janice Rutherford said she was optimistic county staff would have positive news for the board later Tuesday. She cautioned Lovingood against defying the state and jeopardizing county taxpayers. “There is just too much at risk,” she told Lovingood. “Everything you’ve talked about that businesses and our companies are risking right now, that is the same thing the taxpayers stand to risk if we exceed the governor’s grasp. As disappointed as we are about that politically, that’s the reality. There are hundreds of millions of dollars at stake.” County officials continue to review Newsom’s latest loosening of the statewide stay-at-home order, which could see retail stores, churches, barbers and hair salons, restaurants and even professional sports — without live audiences — return in a few weeks. The county already meets the requirement that they maintain a positive test rate of less than 8% countywide, Gary McBride, county chief executive officer, said. Over the past week, 7.9% of county residents tested were positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, he said. The state also requires skilled nursing facilities to have at least 14 days of personal protective equipment on hand with a plan for future inventory, McBride said. About half of the deaths in the county have been tied to congregate living settings, including the California Institution for Men in Chino and nursing homes, he said. The county is still behind on testing and contact tracing RELATED LINKS benchmarks, McBride said. Coronavirus in San Bernardino County: Public health officials want to make mobile testing sites COVID-19 coverage from The Sun https://www.redlandsdailyfacts.com/2020/05/19/san-bernardino-county-waiting-for-now-to-expand-stage-2-coronavirus-reopening/[5/20/2020 8:18:00 AM] San Bernardino County waiting, for now, to expand Stage 2 coronavirus reopening – Redlands Daily Facts stationary, which would increase testing volume, said Leonard Hernandez, the county’s chief operating officer. Official: Stats behind San Bernardino The county is working to hire more people for testing and County coronavirus ‘hot spot’ report are ‘insane’ contact tracing, and may ask some current employees to help, he said. Inland Empire economy could reopen faster under Gov. Gavin Newsom’s new If the county is unable to meet the state’s benchmarks plan because of a lack of personnel on its side, businesses and residents are going to be angry, Hagman said. San Bernardino County reports 82 new coronavirus cases, no new deaths “This has to be the top priority,” he added. Fire agencies prepare to battle wildfires during a pandemic Newsroom Guidelines News Tips Contact Us Report an Error Tags: Coronavirus, coronavirus closures, coronavirus economy, economy, government, public health, Top Stories IVDB, Top Stories PE, Top Stories RDF, Top Stories Sun SPONSORED CONTENT Beefy Benefits: How Meat Can Play a Role in Your Heart Health By Carolyn Williams, Phd, RD in partnership with BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com If you’re looking to incorporate more heart-healthy foods into your diet, you should consider animal proteins like... Sandra Emerson | Reporter https://www.redlandsdailyfacts.com/2020/05/19/san-bernardino-county-waiting-for-now-to-expand-stage-2-coronavirus-reopening/[5/20/2020 8:18:00 AM] http://www.hidesertstar.com/covid-19/article_850d9214-9a27-11ea-848c-ab27b2d5372a.html TOP STORY Supervisors consider opening businesses without state OK By Jené Estrada Hi-Desert Star May 19, 2020 SAN BERNARDINO — The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors kicked off their regular meeting Tuesday morning with a tumultuous update on the COVID-19 pandemic and the governor’s newest guidelines on reopening businesses. After hearing from county staff that the county does not meet the governors guideline’s for reopening later stage two businesses, they scheduled a special board meeting on Thursday afternoon to vote on whether they will move forward without the state’s approval. Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Monday that counties across the state will be able to move into the next phase of reopening, the later phase of stage two. Later stage two reopenings include dine- in restaurants and in-house shopping. Newsom waived some of the previous guidelines for reopening, including having no COVID-19- related deaths in 14 days, and replaced them with more lenient restrictions. Now, counties can reopen if: • Fewer than 8 percent of their coronavirus tests are coming back positive. •Their hospitalization rates and ICU bed rates remain steady. •They perform an adequate amount of testing and contact tracing. “We estimate roughly 53 of the 58 counties would be eligible to move into this phase,” Newsom said. San Bernardino County meets many of these requirements but is not conducting enough testing or contact tracing to be allowed to reopen per the governor’s order. County Chief Executive O∆cer Gary McBride said county staff will be working to immediately increase testing and contact tracing with the hope of pushing the county into the approved bracket, but this may take some time as it requires the hiring and training of new staff . The county may also have to make more permanent testing facilities, instead of relying on mobile testing. McBride could not estimate how long it would take for the county to be eligible to reopen. Board Chairman Curt Hagman urged county staff to move quickly since the roadblocks stopping the county from reopening are now based on the county’s ability to respond and not on the number of positive tests and patients. “If we are not able to self-certify on our side because of the county, then we’re going to have a very unhappy community,” Hagman said. The other board members agreed that they wanted to move forward urgently but Supervisor Robert Lovingood said that he was done waiting. He urged the board to vote to open businesses now, without the state’s approval. “Our small businesses have sat and waited,” he said. “They have waited as long as they can. We do not have two weeks to sit and wait.” Hagman reminded Lovingood and the rest of the board members that, if they move forward without state approval, the county could lose state funding and business owners could lose their licenses. Businesses that have opened without the state’s approval in other counties in California have lost their cosmetology and liquor licenses. “What would be the consequences for our businesses if they lose their liquor license because we allow them to open up but they lose their license from the state?” Hagman said. “I’m afraid our actions might put our business leaders at risk.” Despite this, Lovingood and 3rd District Supervisor Dawn Rowe asked for a special meeting, but special meetings can only be called by the board chairman.