Mendocino County poised to issue loosest stay-at-home order in the region

Mendocino County is poised to adopt what would be the loosest stay-at-home order on the North Coast, allowing most retail stores to reopen for curbside pickup.

The move is made possible by Gov. Gavin Newsom's announcement on Monday that he plans to roll back statewide pandemic restrictions on many 'nonessential' businesses as early as Friday. Newsom added his order could soon allow rural counties like Mendocino to further ease limits on businesses including restaurants and hotels should they meet benchmarks on testing and hospital capacity.

A draft of the county's order, which will be discussed Tuesday by the Board of Supervisors, would allow most retail shops, manufacturing operations, outdoor businesses, childcare facilities and offices where telework is not possible to reopen, in addition to allowing most construction to resume.

Supervisor Ted Williams said the county public health department had been in close communication with the governor's office and drafted its order in anticipation of Newsom's announcement.

'The goal is to open as much as safety allows,' he said. 'What we don't want to is regress and cause a surge of cases.'

Williams said the new order could be in place as soon as Friday, when the statewide restrictions are set be relaxed.

While the Board of Supervisors may recommend changes to the proposed draft, only the public health department has the authority to issue a new order.

The county, which relies heavily on tourism, will remain closed to outside visitors and those making non-essential trips, likely until the governor issues the next round of statewide rollbacks.

The county order may not be any less restrictive than the new statewide directive, which could be reversed if coronavirus hospitalizations rise again, Newsom said in his announcement.

The governor's plan, however, does allow for rural counties with low infection rates such as Mendocino to further relax restrictions once those counties meet requirements for testing kits, hospital beds and case tracing capacity.

In his announcement, Newsom specifically mentioned giving counties more control over regulating restaurants and hotels.

He added that he plans to announce additional information on how and when counties can adopt those looser rules later this week.

Mendocino County health authorities could eventually allow restaurants to open with limited seating, while also permitting house calls for personal services such as haircuts and massages, according to a draft of other potential rollbacks attached to the proposed order.

Those steps, which would need state authorization, could also clear the way for hotels and vacation rentals to reopen for county residents only, permit medium-to-small gatherings and clear the way for an early restart to the school year.

Williams said county health officials expect to receive guidance from the state on rules for those accelerated rollbacks within the next few days. But he sounded less than optimistic about when the county would be able to meet those state benchmarks.

'The most worrisome aspect is the testing criteria,' he said. 'We're at the state's mercy on scaling testing capabilities.'

Williams said the county can currently do about 24 cases a day.

Last week, the county did test hundreds of residents living on or close to the Round Valley Indian Reservation near Covelo after six tribal members tested positive for COVID-19.

As of Monday, the testing has revealed just one new case.

The county's proposed order comes amid growing pressure to reopen local businesses. On Saturday, Sheriff Matt Kendall wrote in a Facebook post that it was time for county and state officials to 're-evaluate' current stay-at-home restrictions on businesses, linking those restrictions to increased 'depression, violence, abuse within the home, and real fear about the inability to make a living.'

The Facebook post received over a 1,500 'likes' and support from some local supervisors, including Williams.

Neither the sheriff nor the county health department immediately returned requests for comment.

In Lake County, Sheriff Brian Martin also has called on local public health officials to roll back limits on businesses. Northern California counties Modoc, Sutter and Yuba, meanwhile, have begun defying Newsom's original orders and already are allowing nonessential businesses to reopen.

Mendocino County has reported 12 total coronavirus cases, including four people who have recovered, according to public health officials.

You can reach Staff Writer Ethan Varian at ethan.varian@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5412. On Twitter @ethanvarian.

Editor's note: This story has been revised to specify that the county will remain closed to out-the-area visitors under its shelter order, with limits on all but essential travel.