Facing outright rebellion over coronavirus restrictions over the weekend, California Governor Gavin Newsom hurriedly claimed that the statewide effort to ignore him was his plan all along and said many businesses could reopen as early as Friday. He stipulated proper social distancing must be in place for that to transpire. Given that was already happening in several counties in the state without his knowledge or sanction, Newsom merely folded his tent and joined the parade.

Modoc County Sheriff Tex Dowdy led the pack in county reopening, saying, “We needed to put out some guidelines. Businesses were going to start opening with or without our blessing and we needed to ensure the health and safety of our community,” he said to a local news station.

Yuba and Sutter counties took Modoc’s hint and said Friday that they would be reopening certain businesses on Monday. “COVID-19 is dangerous and scary but it is not the only health issue,” Phuong Luu, who serves as the health officer for Yuba and Sutter counties, said, “We cannot wait for a vaccine without seeing extreme economic damage done to our community. The consequences of waiting will be additional health concerns brought on by stress and the very real dilemma for those with limited resources whether to buy life-saving food or life-saving medicines.”

Luu also said, “Our residents have done a good job reducing the rate of new cases through social distancing, and that has allowed us to reach the next phase, but we cannot go from zero to 100 percent opening up right away. We must have a gradual reopening, one that is phased in, one that is evidence-based, risk-stratified, and grounded in science.”

Law enforcement joined the county efforts. “My conscience will not allow me to arrest someone who is trying to make a living,” Sheriff Dan Schuster of Mojave County told the Arizona Republic, adding, “I don’t believe it is a crime to try and make a living. I don’t think, for the most part, people want to be defying [the order]… They’re trying to do what’s best for their families.”

This piece was written by PoliZette Staff on May 5, 2020. It originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

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