Fresno mayor extends shelter in place and outlines plan to reopen businesses
Fresno Mayor Lee Brand on Friday extended the city’s shelter in place order until May 31 and outlined the city’s methodical approach to allowing businesses to reopen during the coronavirus pandemic.
The reopening plan calls for opening businesses in phases, and Brand stressed that if COVID-19 cases spiked, he will pull back the reopening plan.
Changes to the executive order also include closing all city parks during May holidays, including the Mother’s Day and Memorial Day weekends.
Another new measure: people will be asked to wear face coverings when visiting business and public places.
Brand outlined the plan in a news conference via Zoom, which was also streamed on the city’s Facebook page. Shortly after two Fresno City Councilmembers criticized the announcement, with one saying it came as a surprise and another calling it authoritarian.
“By all indications I have seen, the people of Fresno are doing an excellent job of sheltering in place and social distancing and are flattening the curve,” he said. “But I recognize that patience is running thin. People want to get back to work, and businesses want to open their doors.”
Brand first announced the shelter-in-place order in mid March in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The state’s stay-at-home order remains in place until further notice and will still apply if local jurisdictions loosen measures.
Business tiers
The first businesses to get the green light to open will be called “authorized businesses” and considered low risk. Authorized businesses may not necessarily be considered essential. The second tier of authorized businesses will be those that pose a higher risk of where the virus may spread.
Businesses such as barber shops, salons and gyms may be among the last to open, along with large stadium events and concerts, Brand said. He predicted restaurants will reopen “sooner rather than later” with modified operations, such as using disposable menus and reducing seating capacity in dining rooms.
When authorized businesses do open, they must follow strict social distancing guidelines and sanitation efforts in order to receive certification from the city.
“This innovative, phased process will, over time, bring back thousands of people to work, restore closed businesses and start the economic rebuilding of our economy,” Brand said.
What if there’s a spike in cases?
Brand said he will be watching health indicators daily and will be in constant communication with health officials. If the number of cases spikes, he will roll back the reopening plan.
He used the analogy of a dimmer switch. If cases here dramatically decline, Brand will consider rolling out phases of the plan more quickly.
“We want to finish strong on this,” he said. “We don’t want to relax our guard.”
Councilmembers weigh in
Earlier this week, a number of councilmembers weighed in with their opinions on reopening businesses.
Councilmembers Mike Karbassi and Garry Bredefeld, who represent north Fresno, both called for the reopening of businesses with safety measures. Councilmember Nelson Esparza called for an extension of the shelter-in-place order and to keep non-essential businesses closed.
Brand said on Friday that criticism toward him over Fresno’s shelter-in-place rules did not factor into his plan.
“There’s a productive way to go forward and discuss ideas. Most of our councilmembers do that. Some choose not to,” Brand said. “I have responsibility for the entire city. The safety of everybody is in my hands, and I take that seriously. I work with the council, but I have to continue on a path. The path I’m going now is trying to balance between keeping us safe and opening our economy.”
After Friday’s announcement, Karbassi commended the mayor for doing his best to save lives. “But I’m not only worried about people’s lives, I’m also worried about their livelihood,” he added.
The announcement came as a surprise, Karbassi said. His blueprint to reopen businesses safely was ignored, and the mayor used the economic recovery committee as a rubber stamp instead of listening to its suggestions, Karbassi said. Now, businesses will have to wait on the city to reopen.
Bredefeld doubled down on his stance that Brand’s actions are unconstitutional and authoritarian.
“The mayor’s actions continue to be unconstitutional base on the First, Fifth and 14th Amendments. He and his administration are tyrannical and authoritarian,” Bredefeld said. “He is destroying people’s businesses, lives and livelihoods in real time. The data regarding COVID-19 in Fresno County do not support his actions. I will not adhere to any of his ‘orders.’ I urge all citizens of Fresno to protest these unconstitutional and tyrannical actions.”
Esparza said Brand made the right call. And even if the mayor didn’t extend the shelter-in-place order, the governor’s order would still apply to Fresno, he said.
“This struggle right now in the economy is a shared global experience. This isn’t something happening only to Fresno,” Esparza said. “We’re in it together and we’re going to emerge from it together.”
This story was originally published May 1, 2020 at 10:09 AM.