News

Places of Worship and Certified Restaurants Set to Reopen

Restaurants that have been certified by the Humboldt County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) can begin dine-in services as early as this Friday. Places of worship may reopen with safety modifications in place.

Hair salons and barber shops, which California Governor Gavin Newsom moved into Stage Two today, involve higher risk to both employees and customers. These businesses can submit a Reopening Plan beginning at 8 a.m. Thursday, but they will be reviewed after those deemed lower risk.

The EOC Reopening Plan certification process was designed to ensure facilities had measures in place to limit transmission of COVID-19. Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal said, “All of these safety measures are done with the community in mind. Yes, we want to make it easier for businesses to open. We also want to make sure they do so as safely as possible.”

Restaurants interested in resuming dine-in services should submit a Reopening Plan here: humboldtgov.org/COVIDBusinessCompliance. Those restaurants that have already received certification can open to dine-in services with safety modifications in place on Friday, May 29. More than 650 businesses have been certified so far.

Humboldt County Health Officer Dr. Teresa Frankovich expressed appreciation for the business community’s thoughtful approach to this process. “Having a certification in hand is reassuring to employees and customers and represents a business’ commitment to keep our community safe,” she said. “I’d encourage residents to support these businesses and be patient as they reopen because services will look a little different than they did previously.”

Gatherings for worship and religious ceremonies have been linked to several outbreaks of COVID-19, including in neighboring Mendocino County. The state recently released guidance to assist places of worship in reducing virus transmission. According to the state, attendance must be limited to 25% of capacity or 100 people, whichever is lower. Places of worship should follow the published state guidance for faith-based gatherings and are encouraged to submit a Reopening Plan to the EOC, though it is not required.

The state today produced guidance for hair salons and barber shops to operate with significant modifications in place, including limiting services to those that can be provided with both the worker and customer wearing facial coverings at all times. “We were pleased to see the state move these services into Stage Two where we can follow local conditions to determine the timing of reopening,” Dr. Frankovich said. “We’ve been working to reopen lower-risk retail businesses and added restaurants just this week. Higher-risk businesses like hair salons and barber shops are next in line for review and certification.”

The following activities are not allowed, and a timeline for reopening has not been set by the state:
Personal services such as nail salons, tattoo parlors, gyms and fitness studios
Hospitality services, such as bars, wineries, tasting rooms and lounges Entertainment venues, such as movie theaters, gaming, gambling, arcade venues, pro sports, indoor museums, gallery spaces, and zoos Community centers, public pools, playgrounds, and picnic areas Cultural ceremonies Nightclubs Concert venues Live audience sports Festivals Theme parks Hotels/lodging for leisure and tourism.