SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — The state of California has now approved San Diego's "attestation" to move forward with "Expanded Stage 2 with Attestation" of reopening, the county announced Wednesday night.
The approval gives the green light for in-dining restaurants, with modifications, and in-store retail, with modifications, to reopen.
Businesses need to fill out the county "Safe Re-Opening Plan" - available here - and post it publicly, share with their employees, and ensure compliance.
In a tweet Wednesday night, San Diego County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher wrote: "Let's continue our responsible re-opening!"
What is allowed in Expanded Stage 2 with Attestation?
Destination retail (retail stores), including shopping malls and swap meets
Dine-in restaurants (other amenities, like bars or gaming areas, are not permitted in Stage 2)
Schools with modifications
San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond had the following message:
Newsom has said he believes the county will be ready to move into "Stage 3" at the beginning of June, Fletcher added.
Supervisor Jim Desmond called the pilot plan "a step in the right direction."
Desmond said if the county doesn't allow for more facilities to reopen, the health crisis will cause unemployment to keep increasing.
Helen Robbins-Meyer, the county's chief executive officer, said Tuesday that the county meets Stage 2 acceleration criteria. According to the county, that criteria includes:
-- Less than 5% of daily COVID-19 hospitalizations over a seven-day period or no more than 20 COVID hospitalizations on any single day in the past 14 days;
-- Fewer than 25 new cases per 100,000 residents in the past 14 days or less than 8% testing positive in the past seven days;
-- A capacity to be able to test 1.5 per every 1,000 residents and at least 15 staff per 100,000 county population trained and available for contact tracing, and;
-- Hospital capacity for a possible surge of 35% of hospitalizations due to COVID-19 cases in addition to providing usual care for other patients.