Health officials and political leaders in Sonoma County have decided to take a slower approach to reopening, even after Gov. Gavin Newsom relaxed a slate of restrictions in the past week or so.
The county has announced that there will be no new reopening in the next two weeks, meaning that indoor church services, shopping malls and hair salons and barber shops will not open until at least June 10, disappointing some business owners and religious leaders.
"It's due to the large increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations this past week," said county health officer Dr. Sundari Mase on Wednesday. "Our case rate is 41 persons per 100,000. That's double what it was two weeks ago when it was about 20 per 100,000. We've also seen over the weekend a few more hospitalizations that make us worried we could be seeing more COVID in our vulnerable populations."
The county has 530 cases overall.
Restaurants and wineries and breweries that serve food were allowed to open over the weekend for outdoor dining.
"It's not a decision to take lightly, but I feel that we should keep our shelter-in-place order with the modifications that we put forth last Friday," Dr. Mase said. "Over the past few months many new cases were from close contacts with family members. But now we're shifting and seeing more cases from workplace contact also."
Despite the county's order, the Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa has given churches the green light to reopen on Sunday, saying congregations are suffering and churches will take steps to reduce risks.
The county's announcement comes as the Santa Clara County health officer has expressed concern over what she sees as a rapid pace of reopening in the state.
State Senator Steve Glazer, a Democrat who represents parts of Contra Costa and Alameda Counties has also expressed alarm over a surge in cases in the Bay Area and says Gov. Newsom is caving to political pressure.
"This cannot be about being popular," says Glazer.
Napa and Solano counties, which along with Sonoma are the Bay Area counties that have been cleared by the state to accelerate their reopening process, are allowing hair salons and barber shops to reopen.
