Solano County expands reopening: dine-in restaurants, shopping malls OK’d by state

San Francisco Chronicle, Matt Kawahara May 20, 2020

Solano County has received state approval to move ahead with reopening, allowing dine-in restaurants, schools and other businesses to resume operations.

The California Department of Public Health endorsed Solano County’s variance report on Wednesday night, county officials said, making it the second Bay Area county allowed to advance further into stage two of the state’s plan to reopen from coronavirus restrictions. Napa County is the only other Bay Area county to also have this approval.

Retail stores, including shopping malls and swap meets, and restaurants will be able to open immediately with appropriate health guidelines in place, per the county’s attestation report. Schools “will open later in summer or fall once guidance is developed,” the report states.

Businesses such as salons, gyms, fitness studios and clubs remain prohibited in stage two of California’s plan.

Businesses that reopen must follow social distancing requirements in the county and state’s health orders and comply with sector-specific guidance, Solano County officials said.

Solano County submitted a revised report to the public health department on Wednesday outlining its readiness under state criteria for expanded reopening.

The county’s COVID-19 hospitalization rate, positive case rate, testing and hospital capacities meet state requirements, health officer Bela T. Matyas wrote in the report. The county will continue tracking epidemiological data and could retighten restrictions if its case rate increases sharply or infections in health care workers rise for an extended period, the report states.

“As we move to advance more quickly through Stage 2, we will continue to monitor the situation, and our top priority will always remain the health and safety of Solano County residents,” Matyas said in a statement earlier Wednesday after the report was submitted.

County officials said they still encourage residents to maintain distance of six feet from other people in public, wear a cloth face mask outside the home when unable to maintain distance and stay home if feeling unwell.

As of Wednesday, Solano County had confirmed 435 total cases of the coronavirus, including 43 active cases, and 18 deaths. Of the deaths, the county had reported 11 in the last 10 days.

State health officials have now received paperwork from 39 of 58 counties seeking approval to advance more quickly with reopening, according to the public health department website.