Merced County approved by state to move forward with next reopening stage
Merced County was approved by the state to transition to the next stage of reopening Tuesday evening.
“I am ecstatic,” Merced County Supervisor Daron McDaniel told the Sun-Star. “This is something we’ve been working (on) for a long time.”
The news came after the County Board of Supervisors gave the state until noon Wednesday to approve the county’s readiness plan for a faster reopening through Stage 2 of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s pandemic road map.
The board unanimously gave the green light Tuesday for businesses included in “Stage 2b” to reopen at this time, regardless of state approval.
The county’s approval means it can advance reopening under the governor’s guidelines without defying state orders. McDaniel said the county was pushing hard because officials were confident it would be approved.
“Stage 2b does not open our doors wide open, and I want to stress that,” said Supervisor Scott Silveira at Tuesday’s meeting. Businesses that must wait until Stage 3 of the governor’s staged reopening include hair and nail salons, gyms, movie theaters and church services.
Still, the county has no jurisdiction over protecting state licenses of businesses that reopen ahead of schedule. The county cannot in good conscience recommend that such places open Wednesday, Silveira said.
This later phase of Stage 2 permits loosened restrictions like dining in at restaurants and shopping in stores with modifications.
Over a week has passed since the county’s first request to the state for advanced reopening of businesses. However, Merced County’s coronavirus demographics failed to reach state criteria, which prevented the plan from moving forward.
Newsom on Monday released relaxed benchmarks aimed at increasing reopening to 53 of California’s 58 counties. Merced County submitted its second attempt to the state that night.
County Public Health officials said the county appears to meet the updated criteria, but urged wariness after the first readiness plan was denied following initially optimistic feedback from the state.
“My hope is that because we’re one of the first submitted, we’re one of the first responded (to),“ said County Public Health Director Dr. Rebecca Nanyonjo-Kemp. She added, “I do want to caution with assumptions that it will easily go through.”
The Supervisors also unanimously declared Merced County to be in an economic state of emergency due to COVID-19. The proclamation formally acknowledges the economic hardship the community has suffered during the pandemic, Supervisors said.
“It sends a message to the governor that we’re hurting,” McDaniel, who proposed the declaration, said.
State defiance incurs consequences
A new challenge for Merced County is its recently soured reputation with the state, Nanyonjo-Kemp said. She did not specifically name incidents lending to the strained relationship.
The City of Atwater Friday defied state orders by declaring itself a sanctuary city for all businesses to reopen. Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke also sent a letter to the state and publicly stated that his office will not be enforcing any coronavirus-related restrictions against businesses.
Consequences for Merced County’s “misalignment” with the state have already occurred, Nanyonjo-Kemp said. It has resulted in needed resources being denied.
A second state-contracted COVID-19 testing site was set to open in Los Banos, increasing testing capacity on the west side -- a key component for faster reopening. Following contract issues, the site was pulled by the state without being given an alternate. Other counties were provided another site, Nanyonjo-Kemp said.
The state also refused Merced County’s request for Remdesivir, one of the only medications with evidence to improve symptoms in patients hospitalized due to COVID-19.
More public comments at the supervisors meeting than in recent weeks called for the county to follow the governor’s guidelines and questioned the safety of increased reopening. Many criticized Atwater and the Sheriff’s position against the state.
Critics raised questions about job security and unemployment benefits for employees scared of returning to work if their employers reopen early. Others asked what the economic consequences will be if there is a surge in cases leading to another round of business closures.
A group of UC Merced professors collectively voiced their opposition this week. They noted if area colleges must postpone in-person classes for another semester, thousands of students won’t return. This means less people to rent local apartments, fill local jobs or spend money in local establishments, they said.
McDaniel, whose district encompasses Atwater, defended his and Sheriff Warnke’s stance. He said he, Atwater and the Sheriff all advocated for a responsible reopening, and called the state’s punitive actions “infuriating.”
“We are using science, and by them taking the testing site from Los Banos they’re using politics,” he said.
Coronavirus in Merced County
Merced County had two new positive COVID-19 cases as of 2 p.m. Tuesday, according to County Public Health, bringing the tally to 222.
Of those, 81 are active cases and 135 individuals have recovered from the disease.
Coronavirus cases and deaths have risen at a higher rate over the last week, with fatalities doubling from three to six.
The trend has caused Public Health officials to pose the question: has Merced County flattened the curve, or just delayed the spike?
This is a trend in other rural counties, County Health Officer Dr. Salvador Sandoval said.
Sandoval reported that four residents have been in the ICU for over two weeks -- all without underlying health conditions. All are intubated and two are under age 35, he said.
“COVID-19 is not done with us, even though we’re done with it,” Nanyonjo-Kemp said, urging patience.
Sandoval also attempted to dispel COVID-19 misinformation. Claims that the county is rewarded with funding for reporting a coronavirus death is untrue, he said. As are claims that masks are ineffective. Recent studies show masks protect both the wearer and those in proximity from COVID-19, he said
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This story was originally published May 19, 2020 at 5:32 PM.
