State grants Napa, Solano counties approval to reopen more businesses, including dine-in restaurants

Napa and Solano counties have received state approval to begin reopening various sectors of their economies such as dine-in restaurants, the California Department of Public Health said.

Both counties have filed attestation forms with the state health department, arguing that they meet state targets for indicators like active Covid-19 coronavirus cases and testing capacity to reopen certain businesses and industries.

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Solano County Supervisor Erin Hannigan said:

“We believe that we are ready for this next step in the recovery process and look forward to expanding opportunities for our public and business communities.”

Moving into the second stage of the state’s four-stage reopening plan will allow both counties to reopen manufacturing facilities, logistics businesses, child care facilities for non-essential workers, office-based businesses that cannot effectively work from home, and some other businesses like car washes, pet grooming and outdoor museums.

With the approved attestation forms, both counties can also move further into Stage 2 than some other Bay Area counties by opening retail stores and shopping malls, dine-in restaurants and schools with modified layouts.

Napa County’s five school districts and the Napa County Office of Education will remain closed for the rest of the 2019-2020 school year, according to county officials. Solano County schools will remain closed until summer, at the earliest.

In addition, Napa County officials noted that businesses will not be required to reopen or resume operations and residents should not expect all eligible businesses to reopen immediately.

Businesses and restaurants in both counties will still be required to follow state and local public health guidelines like practicing physical distancing and wearing a face covering while in public. Large public gatherings also continue to be prohibited.

The CDPH has, as of Thursday morning, approved attestation forms submitted by 39 counties seeking to accelerate their transition into stage two. Most of those counties are in northern California and the Central Valley.

Napa and Solano counties regularly update the local state of the pandemic at their respective public health websites, countyofnapa.org/2739/Coronavirus and solanocounty.com/depts/ph/coronavirus.asp.