California’s COVID-19 Roadmap to Reopening in 4 Stages

Governor Newsom during today’s (Tuesday 4-28-20) daily news briefing gave a more detailed version of his “roadmap” for reopening California’s economy, and for the first time formally described the planned order in which types of businesses will be allowed to reopen. “We believe we are weeks, not months away from making meaningful modifications,” said Newsom who described four “stages” of modifying the stay-at-home order as follows:

Stage 1 is the current stage, in which officials are continuing to work toward expanding testing and contract tracing, while increasing hospital surge capacity and safety measures at essential workplaces.

Stage 2 will include the reopening of “lower-risk workplaces,” and will see the gradual opening of some workplaces, “with adaptions.” Retail and manufacturing will be among the first to reopen, Newsom said. Public spaces could also reopen and offices in which telework is not possible may reopen.

Stage 3 calls for the reopening of higher-risk businesses and personal services that include close physical contact, which salons, gyms, theaters, sports without live audiences, weddings, and other in-person religious services.

Stage 4 would be the end of the stay-at-home order, which would see concerts, live-audience sports and other large events and venues able to reopen.

The governor said that Stage 2 is “weeks” away, Stage 3 is likely “months” away and that Stage 4 won’t arrive until treatments for the coronavirus have been developed.

Newsom also said schools may reopen for an earlier school year that could start in July or August to make up for lost learning time because of the coronavirus pandemic, though he stressed no final decisions have been made regarding education.

For the latest updates, check out the California Coronavirus (COVID-19) Response webpage at: https://covid19.ca.gov/