Sonoma County set to reopen an array of service businesses, outdoor recreation vendors

There will be no limit to the number of customers allowed in a restaurant at one time, as long as tables are 6 feet apart. That long-awaited haircut or hourslong full-foil highlighting can be done at a hair salon.

Instead of window or curbside shopping, you’ll finally be able to again walk into a mall. Soon you can swim laps or exercise at some outdoor pools. And you can rent a kayak for a lazy afternoon paddle on the Russian River.

These are a few of the details that emerged Thursday as Sonoma County health officials are preparing to clear the way for a significant portion of local service and retail businesses and public life to restart this weekend. It all came on a day, the county’s tally of residents infected with the new coronavirus jumped by 17 and surpassed 600 since the pathogen emerged here in early March.

During her daily press briefing Thursday, Dr. Sundari Mase, the county’s health officer, discussed highlights of what the public should expect in her latest revised stay-at-home order expected to take effect at 12:01 a.m. Saturday. Easing the public health restrictions in place since mid-March to tamp down the coronavirus outbreak in the community are in line with guidance from Gov. Gavin Newsom, to continue reopening the economy statewide at the pace local health officials decide based on a broad set of benchmarks that show how well areas are curtailing transmission of the infectious disease.

After a two-week pause of advancing the reopening process, Mase reiterated Thursday the county is slated to permit resumption of in-store retail shopping, indoor dining at restaurants, wineries and brewpubs, in-person church services and haircuts and styling at barbershops and salons. But she and other county officials went further and revealed that a number of outdoor recreational activities, including swimming for exercise and renting paddleboards and canoes, would be included in the modified public health directive coming Friday.

The revised order will allow reopening of outdoor pools, such as those owned by homeowners associations or at apartment complexes, as well as private club or members-only pools for lap swimming and fitness classes, Sonoma County Regional Parks Director Bert Whitaker said. Pool operators would need to adhere to guidelines established by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well what’s spelled out in Mase’s new public health order.

The intent of the swimming permitted outside will be for fitness as opposed to recreation, Whitaker said, noting that such recreational water activities would come in the next or third phase of the county’s reopening plan.

As part of the swimming that’s going to be allowed, groups of up to 12 from summer camps, child care or day care operators also may swim, as long as they are kept separate from one another, even if it’s just by lane dividers in pools, he said. Household and family groups also would be free to swim in a pool together in limited numbers. Indoor changing and shower areas in clubhouses or at pools will remain closed.

Meanwhile, the customer experience at county food and drinking establishments and the daily operations of them will be different than before the coronavirus emerged in the county in early March. The number of customers permitted inside a restaurant, wine tasting room or brewpub will depend on the size of the dining area and the ability to keep tables spaced 6 feet apart. Employees and customers will be required to wear masks. Workers serving the food and beverages and other staff will be required to have their temperatures taken on-site before the start of each shift. If temperatures are elevated based on local guidelines, the restaurateurs and pub and winery operators would have to send those workers home that day.

Hairstylists can get busy cutting, styling and highlighting hair, with no limits on the time spent on services for individual clients. However, no other personal beauty services such as facials or waxing will be allowed. Also, nail salons, tattoo parlors, gyms and massage therapy studios will remain closed.

Twyla Lawrence, owner of Twyla & Company salon at 1523 Fourth St. in Santa Rosa, said she’s thrilled to be able to get back to work.

“Our customers have been so loyal and waiting patiently,” Lawrence said. “A lot of clients have broken down and bought box color at the grocery store, so there will be a lot of color corrections in my future.”

She’s ready to reopen and has been reviewing extensive local and state health and safety protocols, including the use of gloves and face coverings for salon employees and customers. Barbershops and hair salons will have to screen customers upon arrival and be ready to cancel appointments for anyone showing signs of illness.

“I am excited and I know that we as hairstylists are ready for it,” Lawrence said.

An array of outdoor recreation and athletic training and sporting activities will be able to resume. Athletes can train and practice in groups of up to 10 people spaced properly without any physical contact and no fans. Recreation operators will be able to start renting everything from paddleboards to pedal boats, camping equipment, fishing gear and canoes, among other things.

That’s good news for those who enjoy the Russian River, where a variety of vendors rent canoes and kayaks, and despite the continuing pandemic will be able to shuttle customers, according to standards for public transportation, said Whitaker, the county regional parks director.

That means all renters and workers must be masked and properly distanced in a well-ventilated vehicle, he said. All rented equipment of any kind must be fully sanitized according to established guidelines, as well. Campgrounds in Sonoma County will remain closed, however.

Charter fishing boats also will be permitted to leave local docks, with fewer people on board and under appropriate public health protocols.

Also, dog parks around the county will be reopened. And drive-in movie locations will be allowed to turn on the lights, as well.

Separately, county health officials announced Thursday long-awaited antibody testing for certain individuals will start Saturday. The testing, which involves checking a person’s blood looking for antibodies showing a past COVID-19 infection which usually should protect someone from getting the virus again, will be performed daily at the county public health lab on Chanate Road in Santa Rosa. Eventually, there are plans for expanding the antibody testing at select local hospitals and health centers .

Health officials said the antibody testing is part of a larger public health surveillance effort to better understand the spread of the coronavirus in the county. About 110 antibody tests a day will be performed initially. The goal to test up to 3,500 people in the next four weeks, as more testing sites are added. On Thursday night, the county announced 17 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, for a total of 610 since the first county resident was diagnosed March 2.

Of the total cases, 302 remain active, while 304 people have recovered. Of the 28,286 coronavirus tests that have been conducted among Sonoma County’s population of nearly 500,000, 2% have tested positive.

You can reach Staff Writer Martin Espinoza at ?martin.espinoza@pressdemocrat.com. Reach Staff Writer Mary Callahan at mary.callahan@pressdemocrat.com