And Just Like That, Malibu Gets OK To Partially Reopen
Written by 991KBU on May 28, 2020
All of a sudden … Malibu is allowed to open.
Yesterday … the L A County Dpertment of Public Health gave a green light for retail shops and offices to open .. with public distancing and other rules.
Malibu follows the L A County health orders … so that covers Malibu.
Los Angeles County had been proceeding more cautiously because of a disproportionately large share of California’s coronavirus cases, moved ahead after Gov. Gavin Newsom relaxed statewide rules Monday to allow worship and shopping to resume with restrictions.
Some county health officers … particularly in the Bay Area … criticized the governor for relaxing rules too rapidly before they could determine if incremental reopenings led to a resurgence of infections.
In Malibu and the unincorporated coutny area … all retail establishments, including those in indoor and outdoor shopping centers, can open for business at 50% capacity.
Pools, hot tubs and saunas that are in a multiunit residence or part of a homeowners association can open.
And churches and other rleigious centers can can resume services, with the number of congregants limited to 25% of the building’s capacity or a maximum of 100 people, whichever is lower.
But the following businesses are still closed …
Gyms and fitness centers .. closed.
Public piers and public pools … closed.
Personal grooming businesses such as barber shops … hair and nail salons .. closed.
And gatherings of people not from the same household are still prohibited, except for faith-based services and in-person protests.
The county says people 65 or older and all people with underlying health conditions should remain in their residences as much as possible.Those people should leave their residences only to seek medical care, exercise or obtain food or other necessities.
Telecommuting should continue as much as possible.
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The news site Politico reports that Gov. Gavin Newsom’s rapid reopening strategy is drawing concerns from lawmakers and public health officials.
Politoco reports they fear the governor is basing decisions more on political pressure than science.
Newsom’s reopening plan started just over two weeks ago with a handful of rural counties with relatively few cases allowing restaurant dining and shopping in stores.
Now, most of the state has been given the go-ahead to reopen churches, malls and hair salons. And gyms will get guidance within “a week or so,” the governor said Wednesday.
It’s too fast for Sen. Steve Glazer (D-Orinda), a moderate “pro-business” Democrat.
He argues the governor is caving into political pressure while ignoring dangerous “blind spots” in the state’s health data.
He said the governor’s first priority should be mandating widespread testing that will provide the necessary information to attack the virus on all fronts.
“The political calculation is not what we should be doing right now,’’ Glazer said in an interview Wednesday. If the virus is to be contained for good, “this can’t be about being popular.”
