Sonoma County’s hair salons, tattoo parlors, fitness centers, places of worship and more will be closing again, according to a July 13 announcement from Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Newsom announced Monday that all California counties will be required to close dine-in restaurants, indoor operations for wineries and tasting rooms, movie theaters, family entertainment centers, zoos and museums and cardrooms. Bars, brewpubs, breweries and pubs are also being ordered to halt all operation (outdoor included).
For the counties on the state’s watchlist — including Sonoma County — fitness centers, worship services, protests, offices for non-essential sectors, personal care services ( like nail salons, body waxing and tattoo parlors), hair salons and barbershops and malls are required to shut down or not happen, unless they can be moved outdoors or operate via pick-up.
Before Monday’s announcement, Sonoma County was on its first day of the closure of dine-in restaurants, indoor operations for wineries and tasting rooms, movie theaters, family entertainment centers, zoos and museums and cardrooms, due to the earlier closure guidelines related to being on the state’s watchlist.
According to the California Department of Public Health’s county monitoring list, one of the leading causes for the county being put on the list of counties forced to reverse parts of their shelter order is increased hospitalization of those with COVID-19.
“Drivers of the situation include outbreaks in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and residential care facilities for the elderly, and rising case rates, particularly in the Latinx community, due to exposure of essential workers, household clusters, increasing workplace and community transmission with the state’s reopening and large social gatherings,” the state health department’s website states.
According to Sonoma County Health Officer Dr. Sundari Mase, the county’s case rate is up to 124 cases per 100,000 people, an increase of the reported 120 cases per 100,000 that was reported last Friday, and 24 above the state’s 100 case threshold.
“We are now under the state health officer’s order, and there is no flexibility with these orders,” Mase said in a briefing on Monday. “Businesses and public spaces are categorized based on risk level, and these are the criteria for opening and contracting operations and considerations of where we’re at with the virus. The most recent closures reflect places and activities where the following high-risk activities are likely — closed spaces where maintaining six feet of physical distance is challenging if not impossible, difficulty in adhering to facial cover rules in these settings and gatherings of more than 12 people outside of one’s immediate households members.”
Sonoma County had a record number of new cases over the weekend, with 116 new cases reported on Sunday, June 12.
“We know how these restrictions cause significant hardships to businesses, employees and consumers. Among the ways we contain this highly contagious virus is by testing, contact tracing and separating people known or suspected of having COVID-19 from others through quarantine and isolation,” Mase said.
According to county data, around 22% of those who have tested positive thus far are asymptomatic. Mase estimated that 40% of people may be pre-symptomatic, asymptomatic or have minor symptoms, leading to increased spread.
