San Benito County can now move into Stage Three of reopening, with the state continuing to provide guidance. Industries that fall under Stage Three include nail salons, tattoo parlors, gyms and fitness centers, libraries, indoor and children’s museums, art galleries, public pools, playgrounds, community centers, movie theaters, zoos, hotels and colleges.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said at a May 29 press conference that counties with a local variance could proceed to Stage Three of the state’s four-part Resilience Roadmap. San Benito County submitted a variance attestation to the state and qualified for expansion of Stage Two on May 13.
At a June 2 meeting of the San Benito County Board of Supervisors, Health and Human Services Agency Director Tracey Belton said businesses will need to review guidance once it’s issued by the state. They will then be able to form reopening plans and self-certify similar to how businesses opened in Stage Two. Guidance will be released and posted on the Governor’s website at https://covid19.ca.gov/
“The public health department, in consultation with the health officer, will decide when the county may proceed opening these specific sectors,” Belton said. “Based on our data and our epidemiologist’s report, the health officer will give us the green light to move forward into the Stage Three guidance when it comes out. We anticipate that the first type of guidance expected to come out is child care, summer camps and possibly some gym guidance.”
Belton said the county is ready to receive guidance from the state.
“We’ll continue to monitor COVID-19 data in the county to ensure we show continued stability and demonstrate the degree of preparedness required,” she said.
BenitoLink is a nonprofit news website that reports on San Benito County. Our team is working around the clock during this time when accurate information is essential. It is expensive to produce local news and community support is what keeps the news flowing. Please consider supporting BenitoLink, San Benito County’s news.
