In a press conference Tuesday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) laid out his four-stage plan for reopening the state — and made a point of emphasizing that stages three and four will likely take a long time to reach. Stage three, where churches and close-contact businesses — like gyms, hair and nail salons, and movie theaters — will take “months” to reopen, Newsom cautioned.
As detailed by Department of Public Health Director Dr. Sonia Angell and reported by ABC 7, below are California’s four stages of reopening:
Stage 1: “Safety and Preparedness”
- Making essential workforce environment as safe as possible
Stage 2: “Lower Risk Work Places”
- Non-essential manufacturing (toys, furniture, clothing, etc.)
- Schools
- Childcare facilities
- Retail businesses for curbside pick-up
- Offices where working remotely isn’t possible, but can be modified to make the environment safer for employees
Stage 3: “Higher Risk Work Places”
- Hair salons
- Nail salons
- Gyms
- Movie theaters
- Sporting events without live audiences
- In-person religious services (churches and weddings)
Stage 4: “End of Stay-At-Home” Order
- Concert venues
- Convention centers
- Sporting events with live audiences
California is currently still in Stage 1, which Newsom suggested would last a few “weeks” more. While Stage 2 is “weeks, not months away,” the Democratic governor said that Stage 3 will be implemented in “months, not weeks” — meaning employees of hair and nail salons, gyms, movie theaters, sporting venues and churches will not be allowed to go back to work for “months.” Since the start of the state-mandated shutdowns, over 3.4 million Californians have filed for unemployment.
Reaching Stage 4, when the stay-at-home order is fully repealed, will not take place until therapeutics are in place, Dr. Angell said. “This is going to be a while, but there are ways we can modify the way we move around in our environment that will make it more possible (to reopen),” she said, as reported by ABC 7.
Reaching Stage 2, which Newsom predicted is coming soon, requires “an adequate social safety net that allows workers to stay home if they’re feeling sick” and businesses to “have plans to make workplaces safer for employees when they are allowed to return,” said Angell.
Newsom said that he will need to modify his stay-at-home order to effect Stage 2, but after that local officials will have the ability more room to decide at what pace some social distancing measures will be eased.
“Protests will not drive our decision making,” Newsom stressed. “Political pressure will not drive our decision making.” The only thing driving it, he insisted, is “science, data and public health.”
Thus far, a total of nearly 40 million people, has had around 43,500 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 1,755 deaths connected to the virus. Los Angeles County, which has a population of 10 million people, has had around 19,500 confirmed cases and 913 deaths.
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