After business closings lasting more than two agonizing months the California Department of Public Health on Saturday approved the reopening of malls and swap meets, dine-in restaurants, and destination retail stores in our county. Yesterday, houses of worship were given approval to reopen, although several churches in the Morongo Basin held in-person services on Sunday.
In all cases, the re-openings remain contingent on compliance with state-mandated readiness criteria. Remaining closed and not authorized to open until stages three or four are gyms, hair and nail salons, sports and entertainment venues, libraries, bars, hotels and motels, and public swimming facilities. Reporter Mike Lipsitz explains some of the fine print that goes along with the approvals…
The re-openings complete most of the second stage of a four-stage plan for re-openings while protecting public health from a virus that has claimed the lives of more Americans than the population of Morongo Basin and Desert Hot Springs combined.1 It was only Friday that the county submitted a revised request to move into this next phase; the swift approvals were welcomed by county supervisors who had high hopes that the state would make a determination by today. Businesses that plan to reopen are required to follow state guidance on COVID-compliant safety practices including face covering, social distancing, and sanitization (details at https://covid19.ca.gov/industry-guidance/). And while religious institutions are encouraged to continue services online, places of worship can hold services, including funerals, under a number of conditions including an attendance limit of 25 percent of a building’s capacity, but no more than 100 attendees. Complaint businesses and some religious and cultural institutions in our county can receive up to $2,500 to implement public safety measures.
Businesses can apply through the county’s COVID-19 website, http://sbcovid19.com. Businesses should also heed county and state guidance for a safe and sustainable reopening:
San Bernardino County Readiness and Reopening Plan: http://www.sbcounty.gov/Uploads/CAO/Feature/Content/
State guidance for dine-in restaurants: http://www.sbcounty.gov/Uploads/CAO/Feature/Content/guidance-dine-in-restaurants.pdf
State guidance for shopping centers: http://www.sbcounty.gov/Uploads/CAO/Feature/Content/guidance-shopping-centers.pdf
State guidance for retail: http://www.sbcounty.gov/Uploads/CAO/Feature/Content/guidance-retail.pdf
State guidance for religious services and cultural ceremonies: https://covid19.ca.gov/pdf/guidance-places-of-worship.pdf
encourage organizations to continue online services and activities, especially for the protection of those who are most at risk from COVID-19, including older adults and people with specific medical conditions.
To reopen for religious services and funerals, places of worship must:
- Establish and implement a COVID-19 prevention plan for every location, train staff on the plan, and regularly evaluate workplaces for compliance.
- Train employees and volunteers on COVID-19, including how to prevent it from spreading and which underlying health conditions may make individuals more susceptible to contracting the virus.
- Implement cleaning and disinfecting protocols.
- Set physical distancing guidelines.
- Recommend that staff and guests wear cloth face coverings, and screen staff for temperature and symptoms at the beginning of their shifts.
- Set parameters around or consider eliminating singing and group recitations. These activities dramatically increase the risk of COVID-19 transmission.
For this reason, congregants engaging in singing, particularly in the choir, and group recitation should wear face coverings at all times and when possible, these activities should be conducted outside with greater than six-foot distancing.
Not adhering to all of the guidelines in their entirely could result in the spread of illness and the re-closing of places of worship. In 21 days, the State Department of Public Health, in consultation with the County Department of Public Health, will review and assess the impact of the religious services guidelines and provide further direction as part of a phased-in restoration of activities. This 21-day interval accounts for seven days for religious communities to prepare and reopen in addition to a 14-day incubation period of COVID-19.
1 https://statisticalatlas.com/place/California/Desert-Hot-Springs/Overview, Population 28,092, plus https://www.mbhdistrict.org/pdf/MBHDcommNeedsAssess2017.pdf, estimated population 70,000. US Deaths as of May 25, 2020 are 99,805 https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/
