Fresno County asks permission to allow dine-in. COVID-19 cases still outside state standard
Fresno County health officials submitted a letter to the state on Friday, asking officials to loosen restrictions on businesses amid the coronavirus pandemic — despite the county’s new case rate being too high to meet the state standard.
A letter penned by Fresno County interim Health officer Rais Vohra and Director of Public Health Dave Pomaville asks the state to allow the county to move into “Phase 2” of reopening, which would allow dine-in services at restaurants.
Many shops have been closed since the state’s shelter-in-place order on March 19, making it so eateries can only sell to-go food.
The county’s request comes as the the number of new cases of COVID-19 this week have hovered around four or five per 10,000 residents. The state standard before allowing counties into Phase 2 is no more than one new case per 10,000 residents.
Vohra said the number of hospitalized patients has also risen this week.
“We’re not quite flattening the curve,” Vohra said Friday during a media briefing.
Despite the lack of a flattened curve, he said he was comfortable asking the state for special permission to go into Phase 2. He said the county needs to be able to roll out a slow and safe plan to reopen businesses.
“What I really worry about is that if we don’t proceed cautiously, that a lot of the people that are impatient and restless will actually become reckless,” Vohra said. “That recklessness will be quite counterproductive.”
Members of the Fresno County Board of Supervisors have been vocal about their desire to reopen business amid the pandemic. Supervisors Steve Brandau and Nathan Magsig recently attended a demonstration called the Freedom Rally that looked to get shops back into the economy.
The idea to ask for permission to enter Phase 2 is being driven by the experts and not politics, according to Jean Rousseau, the county’s chief administrative officer.
“We’re all under a lot of pressure to get the economy up and running,” he said. “I think this board has been deferential to Dr. Vohra.”
This story has been corrected from an earlier version.
This story was originally published May 15, 2020 at 6:28 PM.
