California county defies Gavin Newsom, reopens

[AKIQPilot]

Some of the country is starting to open back up.  Perfect timing.

 

Sparsely populated Modoc County in California’s northeast corner plans to allow the reopening of its schools, hair salons, churches, restaurants and the county’s only movie theater Friday, becoming the first county in the state to ease out of stay-at-home orders and flout the governor’s mandate.

Ned Coe, a cattle rancher and county supervisor, said Thursday that the county across the border from Oregon has no confirmed COVID-19 cases. After consulting with health officials, the Board of Supervisors voted to reopen Friday, he said.

“Just as our physical health is vital for our citizens, so is the mental health and the economic health of our citizens,” Coe said.

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The plan asks business owners in the county of about 9,000 people that spans 4,200 square miles (11,000 square kilometres) to make sure customers remain 6 feet (1.8 meters) apart. It asks restaurants to cut their capacity by half and requires residents who are 65 or older or have underlying health conditions to continue to stay home.

Coe said county officials sent a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom about a week ago outlining their plan, which he said meets the guidelines outlined by the governor for stay-home orders to be eased out in phases, but they haven’t received a response. He said he was not worried the state might take legal action against the county for violating Newsom’s order, which does not yet allow such businesses to reopen.

“The governor himself has indicated that it is time to start opening in a staged and safe manner, and that will be different for different areas of the state,” he said.

Newsom’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the letter, but when asked about Modoc County’s plans at his daily coronavirus briefing, Newsom did not say whether he would move to stop the reopening.

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/apr/30/modoc-county-california-defies-gavin-newsom-reopen/?utm_source=ForAmerica&fbclid=IwAR3mYPHCOb5DRZXZTZoJg0IPAD-kyexml0iSP4KlXqjzeYd7CEC6pt5QyrA