OAKLAND — California’s gradual reopening will depend on a series of public health benchmarks and the preparedness of schools and businesses, Gov. Gavin Newsom explained Tuesday as the state continues to make strong progress toward slowing the spread of the coronavirus.
Among the factors California officials will consider are the state’s ability to track the virus through testing; the capacity of hospitals and status of treatments; and how well vulnerable people are protected.
Businesses and schools will need to demonstrate their ability to maintain safe distancing guidelines. At restaurants, that could include fewer tables and diners having their temperature checked at the door, Newsom said. At schools, which have shut for the remainder of the academic year, that could mean staggered class times in the fall.
He made clear that the state could tighten restrictions if officials see indications that the virus is spreading.
Newsom did not specify Tuesday when California would emerge from its stay-at-home order, which has been in place for nearly four weeks. He has previously said residents should expect to stay home through May. His presentation showed a curve with a spike upward at the end of April should California lift its current restrictions.
“This phase is one where science, where public health — not politics — must be the guide,” Newsom said.
California Public Health Officer Sonia Angell stressed that the framework is not for a total withdrawal of the stay-at-home order, which she said could spur a deadly upswell of cases, but an incremental effort to modify it. She expects preventative measures, such as wider use of face coverings in public, will remain until a vaccine is found.
Newsom said that local health officers in California's 58 counties will have a "determinative" role in deciding when and how to lift restrictions, using the new framework as a guide.
California has embarked on a West Coast effort, conducted in concert with the governors of Oregon and Washington, to ease sweeping restrictions on public life that have tamed the virus’ spread but exacted a heavy economic toll. Even as California has made progress, Newsom has cautioned against prematurely reopening and risking a resurgence of new cases.
While Newsom said California has entered an “an optimistic phase” as it transitions from bracing for a surge to suppressing the virus, he cautioned that it would also be “perhaps the most difficult and challenging phase of all” as public officials must temper eagerness to reinvigorate the economy with public health considerations.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown laid out a similar series of benchmarks earlier Tuesday, warning that if officials are not cautious “it will backfire” and “could lead to a spike in cases.” She said Oregon officials would work with businesses on potential safeguards for re-welcomed customers and reiterated that she would coordinate with Newsom and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee.
“This virus doesn’t recognize state boundaries,” Brown said.