Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday that 47 counties across the state, including Solano and Napa counties in the Bay Area, can reopen hair salons and barbershops with strict public health and safety guidelines. Alameda County is not on the list.
Newsom said the relaxed COVID-19 coronavirus shelter-in-place guidelines for salons and barbershops would apply to the state's 47 counties that have filed attestation forms with the California Department of Public Health, asserting that they meet minimum standards for factors like testing capacity and hospitalizations.
Counties with approved attestation forms are allowed to move further into the process of reopening their economies than other counties that have yet to stem the spread of the virus. The state has already allowed Napa and Solano counties to reopen certain businesses like dine-in restaurants, car washes, pet groomers and outdoor museums and shopping malls.
"We're moving forward," Newsom said. "We're not looking back but we are walking into the unknown, the untested, literally and figuratively."
Solano and Napa counties are the only Bay Area counties to have an attestation form approved by state public health officials, so far. Some large counties like San Diego and Sacramento have also been approved to accelerate their shelter-in-place modifications, but much of the Bay Area is still required to reopen at a slower pace, for now.
The state is still prohibiting nail salons to open in the immediate future, but Newsom said he is working with state legislators and public health officials to release guidelines for those personal care businesses. Newsom revealed earlier this month that the state's first community-spread case of coronavirus occurred at a nail salon.
Hair salons in the 47 counties will be required to follow strict health and safety guidelines, including the use of face coverings by all staff and customers, the removal of frequently touched items like magazines, frequent disinfection and sanitization and staggered appointments to maintain physical distancing and reduce crowds.
"All of us are required to do a little bit more and a little bit better to make sure we're protecting the spread of this virus, particularly as we meaningfully reopen the economy in this state," he said.
Comments
Parkside
on May 27, 2020 at 12:14 pm
on May 27, 2020 at 12:14 pm
If San Diego county can open up salons and barbershops.. there should no county in the Bay Area that can't open ?
another community
on May 27, 2020 at 1:33 pm
on May 27, 2020 at 1:33 pm
What’s wrong with Alameda and Contra Costa Counties that they haven’t met the minimum safety requirements already met by the other 47 counties?
Vineyard Avenue
on May 27, 2020 at 3:55 pm
on May 27, 2020 at 3:55 pm
Alameda County hospitalizations are going up. That’s why.
Downtown
on May 27, 2020 at 5:14 pm
on May 27, 2020 at 5:14 pm
Out of an Alameda County population of over 1.6 million, less than 100 people have died of coronavirus so far.
For comparison, the natural rate of death due to all causes in the US is about 0.83% per year, so out of a county population of 1.6 million about 13280 people in Alameda County would be expected to die each year of all other causes.
So we have the numbers of about 100 deaths due to coronavirus versus 13280 deaths in the county due to all other causes. So coronavirus deaths represent about 0.75% of all deaths in the county.
Pleasanton Meadows
on May 27, 2020 at 6:14 pm
on May 27, 2020 at 6:14 pm
O.75% deaths too many!
Downtown
on May 29, 2020 at 5:43 pm
on May 29, 2020 at 5:43 pm
@Wombat - we can't compare mortality rates of all other causes vs. Covid-19, until Covid-19 has been in the wild for a full year. Correct?
Downtown
on May 29, 2020 at 7:03 pm
on May 29, 2020 at 7:03 pm
@Atoning
Dividing the approximate number of annual deaths in Alameda county by two to get a 6 month estimate would probably be more appropriate since the first known cases of coronavirus in the US were about 6 months ago. The point remains, though, that the rate of coronavirus deaths in this county is much, much smaller than the rate of deaths by other causes.
Vintage Hills
on May 29, 2020 at 7:46 pm
on May 29, 2020 at 7:46 pm
The total number of deaths is so low because of all the mitigation. it is because of all the social distancing and sheltering in place. The overall infection rate is also very low. COVID-19 has an infection fatality rate between .3 and 1%, by the most up-to-date numbers. If infections spread rapidly and through a large percentage of the population, COVID-19 deaths would overtake death from all other causes. That is why we have to reopen slowly.
Downtown
on May 30, 2020 at 8:45 am
on May 30, 2020 at 8:45 am
@BoBb....agreed.
Downtown
on May 30, 2020 at 10:07 am
on May 30, 2020 at 10:07 am
@BobB wrote "The total number of deaths is so low because of all the mitigation. it is because of all the social distancing and sheltering in place."
The social distancing only slows down the rate at which coronavirus spreads and the rate of coronavirus deaths. According to Santa Clara Health Director Sara Cody, virtually everyone in the Bay Area is eventually going to get coronavirus, so if you thought that the purpose of the sheltering-in-place, social distancing, and mask wearing was to prevent you or anyone else from ever getting coronavirus then, according to Dr. Cody, you're sadly mistaken. She said that the purpose of all of the preventative measures was simply to slow down the rate of infections so that hospitals wouldn't be over-flooded, not to change the total number of people who will ultimately be infected by the virus.
Countries such as Sweden and Japan are practicing much less strict social distancing measures than we are. Are their coronavirus death rates "overtaking death from all other causes"? No. Can you name a single country in the world which is an example of your doomsday scenario of having a coronavirus death rate which is "overtaking death from all other causes"?
The bottom line is that we have overreacted to this crisis by imposing strict sheltering-in-place policies far beyond what is needed and have destroyed countless businesses and thrown over 30 million people out of work as a result.
Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on May 30, 2020 at 11:05 am
on May 30, 2020 at 11:05 am
Wombat,
You didn't respond to what I said.
Downtown
on May 30, 2020 at 11:16 am
on May 30, 2020 at 11:16 am
@BobB
Of course the rate of coronavirus deaths is low due to mitigation. That's indisputable. It's your "That is why we have to reopen slowly" statement that I'm responding to and disputing.
Vintage Hills
on May 30, 2020 at 5:20 pm
on May 30, 2020 at 5:20 pm
If only we could have done what Taiwan did.
Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Jun 1, 2020 at 5:36 am
on Jun 1, 2020 at 5:36 am
Hmmmmm dangerous highly contagious virus according to the liberals who run cities where protests and riots took place NO SOCIAL DISTANCING took place. So I'm guessing this y2k with a cough is not that bad. Sorry your liberal politicians are not telling you the truth. If it was as dangerous as they say they would not allowed more than ten protestors/rioters to congregate. So which is it. Deadly highly contagious virus or not?
Cant have it both ways. I think we have found the answer to the Corona virus. It is not contagious at protests and riots. The liberal run states and cities where most of this activity took place allowed all these people to not social distance. So we found the cure.
Just so you know bob b. When I out without my mask coughing in public
It's not a problem because I'm a sanctuary citizen protester/rioter so I'm immune from laws and any virus.
Good grief people are getting stupider every year.
Canyon Creek
on Jun 1, 2020 at 11:37 am
on Jun 1, 2020 at 11:37 am
@wow, are you really this simple minded? It’s sad to read how failed you were in development of critical thinking skills.
Bridle Creek
on Jun 4, 2020 at 11:45 am
on Jun 4, 2020 at 11:45 am
So the customer that contact the virus at the salon didn't go nowhere else for 14 days prior to the salon where she could have caught it. Your sure she caught it from the salon??? the Forefront of Iris
Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Jun 8, 2020 at 2:38 pm
on Jun 8, 2020 at 2:38 pm
@Wow and @ Bob B.
Other than your “stupider” comment at the end, you two have opinions/facts that make the most common sense but those who share your opinion, have been ignored because your/my opinion doesn’t Matter, not do the facts. Enough is enough already......have we not SUFFERED enough? Open the dam doors, let people be free to make their choice of where they want to do, keeping in mind social distancing and mask wearing. If you get the virus you get it, everyone isn’t going to DIE? It’s so overhyped up! We sheltered in place long enough, too much suffering isn’t worth staying closed anymore....And as you can tell with all of the riots an absolute craziness, nobody cares about the virus anymore, they are worried.
Amador Estates
on Jun 22, 2020 at 9:46 pm
on Jun 22, 2020 at 9:46 pm
i am ok for stay home but who help me pay monthly pay month bill