5th District Supervisor Lynda Hopkins May 4 Briefing
Dear Friends,
While the focus of the Shelter-In-Place has been on flattening the curve and protecting the public good, County officials have simultaneously engaged business leaders, economists, and industry experts to plan for a gradual and successful reopening of the economy. If you missed Sunday's Town Hall talking about re-opening steps, check out the recording here: https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=237396457472005&ref=watch_permalink
Governor Newsom has announced that on Thursday, May 7th, the State will release guidance documents on the next stage of re-opening our economy. This guidance will include timelines and required mitigation criteria to be met in order to loosen restrictions. This stage will be focused on safely and strategically re-opening mom and pop retail and manufacturing. Sonoma County will need to amend the County Shelter-In-Place Order to fit the modified State order after receiving the State guidelines.
The Governor’s roadmap to lifting the shelter-in-place broadly identifies “lower risk” and “higher risk” businesses. We are taking steps to localize our approach and provide guidance across sectors and within industries. As discussed in our FB live on Sunday, the Sonoma County Economic Development Board has been working hard to develop mitigation strategies to help businesses transition to the “low risk” new normal. In the most recent modified Shelter in Place order we were able to ease restrictions on construction activity based on creating low risk strategies.
The Sonoma County Economic Development Board (EDB) is working to ensure that local businesses and non-profits can access and navigate the federal, state, and local resources available to them, including financing, debt relief, and payroll protection.
We also established an Economic Task Force in partnership with local businesses and non-profits, to collaborate with health officials on mitigation strategies that adapt our businesses and reopen our economy in a way that balances economic and health needs.
The Economic Recovery Task Force will work to identify and implement best management practices around health protocols and help businesses prepare the equipment and materials necessary for a successful return to economic activity.
The EDB is also working to identify industries still experiencing employment demand, as well as identifying displaced workers, transferable skills, and training resources to fulfill needs and create a career pathway for workers impacted by COVID-19.
For every step taken, the Public Health Officer will be watching the data to ensure there is no new surge in cases. Targeted testing, contact tracing, physical distancing, face coverings, and personal hygiene will continue to create the conditions necessary to relax the shelter-in-place.
The Governor’s science based indicators include:
● The ability to monitor and protect our communities through aggressive testing, contact tracing, isolating, and supporting those who are positive or exposed;
● The ability to prevent infection in people who are at risk for more severe COVID-19;
● The ability to reduce infection spread so that it is decreasing in the community;
● The ability of the hospital and health systems to have sufficient bed and ICU capacity to handle surges;
● The ability to develop therapeutics to meet the demand;
● The ability to obtain sufficient personal protective equipment (PPE) for hospitals and health system to handle surges;
● The ability for businesses, schools, and child care facilities to support physical distancing; and
● The ability to determine when to reinstitute certain measures, such as the stay-at-home orders, if necessary.
Getting businesses back to work is a priority, and we will continue to evaluate both health data and economic data in determining how and when to modify the shelter-in-place order and reopen our economy.
Tuesday Town Hall
NorCal Public Media English Language Virtual Town Hall 7-8 pm Tuesday, May 5, 2020,
Guests:
Supervisor Gorin
Supervisor Hopkins and Supervisor Rabbitt
Senator Mike McGuire and Senator Bill Dodd
Bert Whitaker, Director, Regional Parks
KRCB Hosts Steve Mencher and Adia White
Community members are invited to submit questions prior to and during the broadcast by going tohttps://vimeo.com/408598911/e26c2dba15
Multiple ways to view or listen to the live Town Hall program
KRCB TV 22
KPJK TV 60
NorCal YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/northerncaliforniapublicmedia
NorCal Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/NorCalPublicMedia
NorCal Website: https://norcalpublicmedia.org/television/coronavirus-what-you-need-to-know
