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Do you have feelings about which local non-essential businesses should re-open first after Gov. Gavin Newsom declares the state all clear to move out of portions of this COVID-19 induced statewide shelter-in-place order?

If so, the county of Humboldt would like to hear from you. To reduce the risk to public health, the county plans to allow those businesses deemed non-essential under its shelter-in-place order to reopen in phases. Those opening first will be required to incorporate social distancing and safety elements from start to finish — meaning employees and customers will have facial coverings, foot traffic will be limited to allow 6 feet of social distancing at all times, surfaces will be frequently sanitized and there will be abundant opportunities for hand washing and hand sanitizing. Additionally, according to a county press release, employers will be required to have plans in place for keeping employees away from work if they get sick.

With all that in mind, the county wants you to weigh in on which non-essential businesses you'd like to see open first and in this survey is asking people to rank the top 10 businesses they'd like to see back open in each phase of reopening. Residents have until 5 p.m. today to fill out the survey.

The county also has an ongoing business impact survey that will help it assess the economic and employment losses the county is suffering in the face of COVID-19, and the state of California is asking residents to share ideas here on how to make various businesses safer when they reopen.

See the county's press release regarding the reopening survey copied below:

April 29, 2020 - Humboldt County Residents Encouraged to Weigh in on Reopening the Economy
707-441-5000 ; [email protected] ; Monday-Friday 8am to 7pm ; Saturday 10am to 5pm Opens in new window
Humboldt County residents are encouraged to take a community survey to give county leaders feedback on the types of non-essential businesses they would like to see reopen first once the state’s Stay-at-Home Order is relaxed.

To reduce risk to public health, Humboldt County plans to reopen non-essential businesses and services in phases. The county is currently in Phase One, shelter in place, with Phase Two being the first group of businesses to reopen. In order to move on to Phase Two and beyond, the state must first roll back its Stay-At-Home Order.

“Our Governor has put into place a state guideline, and our county’s shelter-in-place order cannot be less restrictive than that order,” Sheriff William Honsal said. “However, as the state moves forward with the Governor’s Resilience Roadmap stages, we can begin opening up our local economy.”

The Governor’s Resilience Roadmap outlines the four stages that the state will use as it works to begin slowly reopening the economy and ending the Stay-At-Home Order. The stages align with the Governor’s Six Key Indicators for modifying the Order. When making decisions regarding opening up the economy in Humboldt County, local officials must follow the state’s roadmap and abide by the current Stay-At -Home restrictions.

As part of local officials’ planning process for reopening Humboldt County, residents are asked to complete the community survey and recommend non-essential businesses for reopening by phase. As residents submit their feedback, they are asked to consider the following:

Lower-risk businesses will likely be opened first.
Businesses opening early in this process will be required and should be able to incorporate social distancing and other safety measures from start to finish, including:
Masking or facial covering for all employees
Limiting foot traffic to allow 6 feet of social distancing at all times
Safe spacing of customers when outdoors
Easy availability of hand sanitizer for employees and customers
Availability of handwashing for employees and customers
Frequent cleaning and sanitizing of the facility
Employers will need to have a plan to keep employees out of the workplace if they get sick.
Residents can access the Community Survey on Non-Essential Business Reopening at: www.surveymonkey.com/r/DXDVYJN.

The deadline to complete this survey is 5 p.m. on Friday, May 1, 2020. If you have questions about this survey, please contact the COVID Information Line at 707-441-5000 or email [email protected].