California's Steps to Reopen Amid COVID-19
* Source: California’s Pandemic Resilience Roadmap
Over the next several weeks, California is planning to begin to lift restrictions, in an effort to gradually reopen essential businesses and some public spaces. California closures and "Safer at Home" measures are currently scheduled until May 15, while the reopening plan outlined in California's Government Pandemic Resilience Roadmap includes four phases that will slowly alter restrictions and begin to open businesses and public places.
California is currently at the first stage, "Safety and Preparedness," and the roadmap explains this is where the state currently stands. This phase focuses on growing a supportive medical system with testing availability, contact tracing, the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and increasing hospitalization capacity.
Each working sector have or will have safety guidelines to follow, while many essential businesses work virtually in an effort to eliminate human contact as much as possible.
California Governor Gavin Newsom tweeted how California has been smoothing the curve due to people staying home and the social distancing measures. “We aren’t out of the woods yet. We must continue to take this seriously and allow our re-opening to be guided by science and public health.”
The second stage includes adaptations for lower risk industries in an attempt to reopen. Lower risk industries include schools and childcare facilities, retail establishments, manufacturing and offices.
Offices that are able to continue to work online will remain teleworking, while a larger amount of the workforce will gradually return to their jobs. Safety will be prioritized for schools and childcare centers, which suggests the possibility to start schooling programs around July or August.
During the third stage, workplaces considered higher risk will reopen such as hair and nail salons, gyms, entertainment, and religious venues. However, limitations will still occur regarding gathering capacity.
Finally, the fourth stage will terminate California's Stay at Home Order and the highest risk workplaces will reopen. This will lead to the re-establishment of concerts, live sports, and convention centers. In order to arrive to this step, all safety repercussions must indicate that it is safe to do so.
COVID-19 fatalities in California have currently passed two thousand, while total confirmed cases are over 50 thousand as of this week. LA Mayor Eric Garcetti tweeted on Friday that outdoor activities such as beaches and trails are still closed, in an effort to continue social distancing.
Although the numbers of the pandemic are increasing, millions of people are eager for the country to reopen, as the COVID-19 quarantine has been threatening people’s job security, and instigating fear for their economic status.
“My biggest fear would be the economy because so many people are unemployed," said Santa Monica College (SMC) student Dany Godoy. "After all this is over would I be able to get a job? That is the stuff that scares me.”
Still, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website (CDC) urges that there is still a need to keep imposing measures nationwide in order to flatten the curve to slow the spread of COVID-19.
"In order to get and keep America open, states, tribes, localities, and territories must be able to quickly identify new cases, break chains of transmission, and protect first responders and health care workers from infection,” according to CDC.