California offices can open with modifications, malls can offer curbside pickup, governor says

California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Tuesday that state will move further into its reopening process, allowing some offices, malls and outdoor museums to resume operations with modifications.

Newsom said that offices in the state that can’t telework will be allowed to reopen with health safety modifications and shopping malls, strip malls and outlets will be allowed to offer curbside pickup. It wasn’t immediately made clear when the order would take effect.

Car washes, pet grooming and dog walking will also be allowed to resume statewide, he said. Newsom added that the state has now conducted over 1 million tests for the coronavirus and can perform approximately 35,000 per day.

“The worst mistake we can make is to just throw those face coverings off” and think the virus has gone away or is on vacation, Newsom said. He added that the state has now conducted over 1 million tests for Covid-19 and can perform approximately 35,000 per day.

“It’s not. It’s still virulent. It’s still deeply, deeply deadly,” he said.

However, Newsom said it’s still up to local governments to determine whether they’re ready to move further into the next step.

Both the Bay Area and Los Angeles have issued their own stay-at-home orders. Barbara Ferrer, director of the Los Angeles County department of public health, said on Tuesday that some form of stay-at-home restrictions will likely remain in place in the county through August, according to reports from NBC Los Angeles.

The Golden State governor also issued new guidelines for counties that have been approved to reopen dine-in restaurants. The guidelines advise restaurants to offer disposable menus, reusable dinnerware, physical barriers and to require diners to wait in their cars, among other guidelines. Employees and patrons will also be required to remain 6 feet apart.

Only two of the state’s counties — Butte and El Dorado — have so far met the requirements to move further into the state’s reopening plan, including opening dine-in rest Newsom said.

A county can begin reopening more businesses if they can prove adequate testing and contact tracing, protection of essential workers and no deaths related to Covid-19 for two weeks, among other guidelines, Dr. Mark Ghaly, secretary of the California Health and Human Services, said on Thursday.

Last week, Newsom outlined various health procedures retailers and other businesses that were allowed to resume operations must adopt to ensure the safety of their workers and customers.

He previously granted retailers, like those that sell clothing, books and sporting goods, to begin offering curbside pick-up as the state moves deeper into “stage 2” of its reopening plan, although malls weren’t allowed in the initial order.

Manufactures and warehouses that support these retailers were also be allowed to reopen with modifications.