In light of ongoing COVID-19 threat, Fresno mayor is right to slowly reopen businesses

Since the start of Californians sheltering in their homes to stop the spread of COVID-19, government leaders have said that reopening cities, counties and the state would be gradual —like slowly turning up a light with a dimmer switch.

So Fresno Mayor Lee Brand’s new shelter in place order, announced Friday and to take effect next Thursday, is a reasonable step in keeping with a measured return to normalcy.

On the one hand, the sheltering order is now extended from May 7 to May 31. But, businesses will now slowly get to return to operations in a phased approach.

In a press conference conducted online from Brand’s home — no in-person gatherings in this pandemic — Brand said he was working on two goals: To continue to keep Fresnans safe from infections and possible death; and to start the process of reopening and rebuilding the local economy.

Few fatalities

On the first point, Brand can rightly claim success. Fresno County has a total of 564 COVID-19 cases and seven deaths; the city represents more than half of the county’s population of 1 million.

By comparison, Tulare County has half the population of Fresno County, yet has 640 total cases and 40 deaths (many of those fatalities are from one nursing facility in Visalia).

“The people of Fresno have done an excellent job of sheltering in place and flattening the curve,” the mayor said. “But I recognize patience is wearing thin.”

Restarting economy

Toward the goal of resuming economic activity, Brand announced a phased approach and a new business category — that of “authorized.” Currently, businesses are either considered as essential or nonessential. Essential businesses, like grocery stores, have continued to operate since the sheltering order first took effect in March. Nonessential businesses have been closed.

Authorized would be a nonessential business that can reopen to the public by following city and county public health guidance and creating safety procedures for staff and customers.

There is an extensive city review that businesses will have to go through to reopen. Both employees and customers will need to wear face coverings; any customer without some kind of mask won’t be allowed into a store.

Brand said a special committee he has formed to oversee the resumption of business life will help determine which industry groups can open first. He stressed one category he absolutely wants to reopen as soon as practical is restaurants.

City code enforcement officers will be deployed to businesses and coach owners and managers on what they have to do to ensure maximum safety for workers and the public.

This past week Brand took heat from two council members over the economic impact Fresno is experiencing. He said the new order was not influenced by that criticism and that many of the elements were already in the works.

It is hard to be patient when one has lost a job due to the pandemic. It is a chore to have to wear a mask in public, stay six feet from others and wash hands repeatedly through the day.

But Fresno’s relatively low caseload and total fatalities show it was wise to order sheltering in the first place, and Brand’s revised order shows his willingness to be flexible and focus new attention on getting back to work while remaining committed to health and safety.

The assignment of all Fresnans remains the same: Stay disciplined to proper sheltering, social distancing and hygiene. This effort against COVID-19 is a war that is not yet won.